Agent Alpha
by PengyChan
Summary: Shego didn't really know what to expect from her new employer, but she was certain of one thing: after working with Drakken for years, nothing could surprise her anymore. Predictably enough, she was wrong. Post-Graduation, written for NaNoWriMo 2009.
1. Splitting ways

**Disclaimer: **I own everything. KP is mine. Really.  
...if you believe _that_, I have a bridge to sell you...

_A/N: I should stop getting weird pairing ideas from pairing memes. No, really, I should stop. And I should stop listening to a certain someone (_VampireNaomi, I'm looking at you_), especially since said someone can talk me into doing stuff like NaNoWriMo. Writing a 50,000 words long fic in exactly a month nearly killed me, I tell you _:P  
_Anyway, I decided to kill two birds with one stone and write it about the aforementioned weird pairing that just took over my brain after reading a pairing meme. If anything, that plot bunny won't bug me anymore _XD

…_yeah, enough with my babbling and on to the story._

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* * *

  
_

It had been so fast that he hadn't even realized what was happening until it was too late to escape.

All he knew was that one moment he had walking on the sidewalk to get back to his hovercraft, and a moment later the ground had opened – just _opened_ – beneath his feet to let him fall into… into some kind of transparent, oversized test tube. He had yelled, pounding with his fists against the wall, but instead of letting him out that stupid thing had begun falling…then rocketing upwards…and then falling again through a maze of huge tubes underground.

It felt even worse than riding a roller coaster, and he always got _sick_ on the roller coaster. That was no different: it didn't even take a minute for his stomach to turn, and he had to press his hand on his mouth and squeeze his eyes shut to resist the wave of nausea. He wouldn't manage to old back for long, he would just throw up there and--

Just as he was about to give up the tube he was into came to an abrupt stop. The side he was leaning onto for support suddenly opened, letting him fall face first on the ground, his head spinning. He groaned and raised his head, to see the figure walking towards him.

"Drew Lipsky," a feminine and rather formal voice called his name. Drakken blinked a few times to clear his sight – his head was still spinning badly – to look at the woman standing above him with just a hint of an amused smile on her face beneath the seriousness.

"I like Dr. Drakken better," he managed to slur, shakily getting back to his feet and leaning against a wall for support, trying to ignore his still upset stomach. He got the distinct feeling his face had to be _green_ rather than blue now.

The woman didn't seem to acknowledge his reply. "I'm Dr. Director – the head of Global Justice."

"Global Justice?" Drakken croaked, his already upset stomach turning even more with nervousness "but I didn't do anything, really! Well, not lately, not after the Lowardian invasion anyway… is it because I _double-parked_ my hovercraft, isn't it? I didn't do it on purpose, I wanted to get an ice cream and only had to stay away for a couple of minutes…"

Dr. Director chuckled, now clearly amused – so _that_ was the guy who had caused so much trouble around the globe and then had helped to save the world from the Lowardians? And there she thought nothing could ever surprise her anymore. "I can guarantee you're not in trouble, Mr. Lipsky. Double-parking is hardly a… crime that would require our involvement."

"Ah," Drakken breathed a little more easily "and that roller coaster thing…?"

"It's our way to recruit people. You'll get used to it eventually. I looked worse than you do the first time I went through it," she said almost encouragingly. And it was true, really – when she had been recruited the first time she was barely more than a teen, and once she had finally landed she could have _sworn_ she had a collapsed lung or something close. She took a mental note of thinking of a way to make their means of recruitment a little less traumatic.

He blinked. "…recruitment? Get used to it?" he muttered. He _couldn't_ have heard right, could he…?

"Yes, you heard me. I'm formally asking you if you're interested in a job in our laboratories," she said, all humor disappearing from her voice.

Drakken stared at her for a few moments, flabbergasted, then he finally opened his mouth to speak without even knowing what he would say. Not that he got to say much, for but his upset stomach finally gave up, and nothing but a croak came from his mouth as he bent forward and threw up on the floor. Dr. Director's somewhat startled but _definitely_ amused voice sounded oddly distant as she spoke again.

"… should I take this as a yes or a no?"

* * *

Over the years, Shego had seen Dr. Drakken wearing all kinds of expression – from childlike enthusiasm to unconvincing evilness, passing through short-lived triumph and utter frustration – and she had seen him completely dumbstruck way more times than he could remember.

Then again, she mused as she looked at him again, she had never seen him wearing the same stunned expression for at least half an hour straight. "Dr. D?" she called out impatiently, waving a hand in front of his eyes. She had found herself growing more and more impatient towards Drakken in those past few months, and she knew exactly what the problem was: he seemed to have quit villainy for good. At first she had thought that it was just a hiatus, that he was merely enjoying some time as a hero – he had had a hand in the final defeat of the Lowardians after all – and basking in the recognition he got from the world before he turned his attention to world domination schemes once again… but weeks had become months, and he still hadn't mentioned the worlds 'take over the world' once.

And for all that time, Shego had been nothing different than a _secretary_ than anything else, which was starting to irk her. That wasn't what she had in mind when she had decided to part ways with her brothers and switched sides: she had been hired for _evil_ deeds, not to check her employers' appointments all around the globe. They were going to have to talk seriously about that, she thought, and he needed to tell her whether he was planning to get back to his usual business or not. If he was, he better do so before she died of boredom. If he wasn't… well, in that case she was going to have to look for another job.

She bit her lower lip at the thought. It felt odd thinking about leaving after years working with Drakken, but that really wasn't her job anymore. It was _boring_, damn it, so boring that it almost made her miss her days as a member of Team Go. Almost.

She frowned at the thought and snapped at Drakken again. "Hey, Dr. D, wake up!"

"Uh? What?" Drakken blinked a few times before finally turning his attention to her "what now? I'm busy!"

"Yeah, staring at the wall and drooling from the corner of your mouth," Shego mocked him "do you have the slightest idea of how much time you've been like that?"

Drakken frowned a little in thought. "Er… no. How much time?"

"At least half an hour. You walked in, sat down and began staring at nothing, and that's _creepy_. You didn't do that since when you got back after being abducted by those aliens in Area-51. Where have you been anyway? I turned for a moment and then you weren't there anymore. Did you fall down the White Rabbit Hole or what?" Shego asked sarcastically, folding her arms.

Drakken shook his head. "Well, not really. It fell down a trapdoor."

Shego blinked. "A trapdoor."

"Yeah."

"In the middle of a sidewalk?"

"Yup."

She sighed. "Ooookay…" she muttered "and where did this hypothetic trapdoor lead?"

Drakken seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if he was having trouble himself to process what had exactly happened. "The GJ headquarters," he finally said, deadpanned.

Shego stared at him, startled. "What? The GJ headquarters? What did GJ want from you?" she asked, then she blinked as Drakken looked back at her, still looking absolutely dumbstruck "… wait. Don't tell me… they didn't…?"

Drakken nodded. "They offered me a job," he said, his voice finally getting back some emotion rather close to awe "a job with GJ! _Me_! After I tried to take over the world for years – would you _believe_ that?" he laughed a little hysterically "one of the most powerful organizations existing with all the most advantage technology at its disposal and unlimited resources…!"

No, had it happened only a few months before she wouldn't have believed it… but now that Drakken seemed to be a hero and a genius to everyone, his whole criminal record forgotten by the world, it was awfully easy to believe it.

_Well, this is it. You better start looking for a new job, because at this point it's clear he's not going to get back to dear old evilness. There is no place for you here._

The thought stung more than she would have though, but she knew it was true. She had come to expect something like that could happen – not involving GJ, maybe, but still. "Well, that's great news. Congrats, doc," she heard herself saying. In retrospect, it was a surprise she had even stayed so long. She knew that the one thing Drakken had always wanted was recognition: it was what really led him to try taking over the world, and now that she had all the respect and recognition he craved for…well, why should he keep trying to take over the world, failing each time?

"Yeah, it's great, isn't it?" Drakken was saying excitedly "after I… er… recollected, Dr. Director gave me a tour of the lab, and it's one of the best labs I've ever seen – I can't wait to use the stuff they have there!" he grinned like a child anticipating a Christmas gift "and wait until I tell them about you! I'm sure they're going to need…uh…Shego?" he seemed a little puzzled at the glare she was giving him "…did I say something wrong?" he asked somewhat weakly.

Shego sighed, feeling as if something heavy had been laid on her chest. "Look, Dr. D, I'm glad you got this job – I'm sure it's going to be great if you don't mess up too much," she grinned a little weakly "but it's not my thing. I enjoy my job… how it used to be, _before_ the Lowardians. I like evil stuff too much to quit. What the heck, I split ways with my brothers to stop being a heroine, and last thing I want is becoming one again."

"Oh," now Drakken looked somewhat lost "you mean… you're quitting…?" he asked a little weakly, the enthusiasm that had been on his face until a few moments before completely fading.

Great, last thing she needed was having him start behaving like a beaten dog. "Hey, cheer up, doc!" she said, patting his shoulder "you're surely not going to get bored _now_, are you?"

Drakken still seemed a little shaken by the thought Shego could be quitting after all those years working for him…still, she had a point: she simply wasn't doing what she wanted to do anymore. "Are you sure…?" he tried. She had been with him for so much time that it felt _normal_ having her around, as if she were a member of his family or something, and the thought she wouldn't be around him all the time anymore was so _odd_…!

"I'm sure, Dr. D. It _really_ isn't my thing."

"Oh," Drakken paused "so…you're leaving? Just like this?"

"Yeah, seems like it – I'm not for cheesy goodbyes and stuff," Shego said with a shrug, then she bit her lower lip "but it was fun while it lasted, you know."

"Yep, it was," Drakken admitted, then he sighed "so, uh… good luck, I guess."

Shego shrugged. "I don't need luck, but thanks anyway," she said with a grin, lighting up a hand "and enough with the long face, doc, it's not like I'm going to disappear or something. I know where you live, and you know my number. I'll drop by when you less expect me to so I can mock you a little," she taunted him, poking his chest with a smirk "how about that?"

Drakken smiled. "Great! Now, wait, I mean… do you _have_ to mock me all the time? Even _now_?" he protested without much vehemence.

"_Especially_ now. If I mocked you when you were my employer, let alone now that you're with the good guys!" Shego's smirk widened.

"Aw, snap," Drakken muttered, but he couldn't hide his relief upon knowing she would be back to tease him just like old times.

* * *

Well, it looked like Drakken wasn't the only one who could wave bye-bye to his reputation as a criminal, Shego mused as she sipped her drink, trying to ignore the odd looks she kept getting from all the villains at the convention. She snorted, annoyed. Fine, maybe she should have guessed that saving with world with Dr. D would backfire on her reputation as a villain, but she hadn't thought it would be _that_ bad. Nobody had openly accused her of being one of the do-gooders – no one would dare – but it was clear that was what they thought now. Or at least they thought she worked for them as a spy or something, and the fact Drakken was now working for GJ didn't help _at all_ to find a new job.

She snorted, finishing her drink and getting up. Who cared of them? None of them could provide her with a decent job anyway. She would find one eventually – and when she did, she was sure it would take her nothing to build back her reputation. She would _show_ them…!

"Stop right there – you can't get any closer."

"What…?" Shego blinked and stopped in her tracks as a gruff voice snapped her from her thoughts. She glanced up to see some massive guys – someone's henchmen, judging by their uniforms – blocking her way. She cocked her eyebrow and grinned, rather pleased by the fact that, if anything, things were going to get less boring. "Oh, yeah? And why _shouldn't_ I?" she asked, ready to light up her hands, and despite the anticipation she felt at the thought of beating the crap out of them she felt somewhat annoyed – never before anyone had questioned her right to be wherever she pleased at a villain convention.

"I'd say it's mainly because you're not someone I wouldn't like to see anywhere near some of my best prototypes," a collected voice came from behind the circle the henchmen had formed around her. A couple of them took a few step aside to let a man wearing a business attire step closer, and Shego immediately recognized him – Jack Hench. No wonder he wouldn't want to see her near his stuff, Shego thought with a small grin. At least his wariness was due to her work as a criminal rather than to any suspicion he could work for GJ or something – it was still something.

"Ah," Shego lowered her hands "Jack Hench, right?"

"Yes," Jack Hench narrowed his eyes, staring at her. "And you're the one who kept breaking into my industries to steal my best prototypes."

Well, now _that_ was awkward, Shego thought. "Er… yeah, it's me. Name's Shego. No hard feelings for that, uh?"

Hench raised an eyebrow. "Do I even _have_ to state the value of all the items you stole from me over the years?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "C'mon, it was _work_," she said "Dr. D told me to steal this or that, and I stole this or that. It's my… well, it _was_ my job."

"It was?"

"It will still be as soon as I find a new employer – possibly with a _decent_ job for me," she said "I split ways with Drakken so he can enjoy his success and I can keep doing what I do best," she grinned a little, casually lifting a hand and lighting it up.

"I see," Hench said somewhat thoughtfully, then he gestured his henchmen to stay a little aside so they wouldn't be circling her anymore but would still be ready to act should she try to do anything against him – as if they could do anything to stop her, Shego thought sarcastically before turning her attention back to Hench. "And you haven't found a new employer? What a shame. Your… talent definitely should be put to a good use."

Shego's grin widened. "Good?"

A small chuckled escaped him. "My bad, it was a most inappropriate wording – still, you get what I mean," he said, dismissively waving his hand "may I ask how comes someone with your skills hasn't found an employer yet?"

"Good question," Shego grumbled a little "my guess is that people didn't get over the fact I helped saving the world with Dr. D, Miss Priss and what's-his-name. They must be afraid I'm a mole for the do-gooders or something. As if!"

"You have to admit that it was a rather… unusual thing to do for a criminal such as yourself," Hench pointed out, sounding somewhat amused.

"Hey, I had no choice," Shego protested "I mean, hello? You all would be dead or enslaved if we didn't take down the aliens. I don't know about _you_, but I happened to have other plans. Besides, they had kidnapped my employer."

"Good point," Jack Hench admitted, then he frowned in thought for a few moments "I think I might be able to help you out," he finally said "do you happen to have you résumé with you?" he asked. He already knew her résumé had to be quite impressive: that Shego had a lot of potential that was crying to be put at the right use… and he knew exactly who could beneficiate from her skills.

Shego shrugged. "Sure," she said, reaching to take a small disk from her pocket "here's a copy. I would have needed too much paper to print it out," she added with a smirk at his slightly surprised expression.

Hench chuckled and took the disk. "I understand," he said "I think I know someone who could be interested in giving you a job – unless he found someone in the past week, he really needs someone with your skills."

Shego frowned a little. "Who are you talking about?"

Jack Hench shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't tell you anything more for now," he said "but rest assure that I'll send him your résumé, and he'll contact you himself if he's interested."

"Are you trying to play mysterious just for the heck of it?" Shego asked, faking a yawn "because in that case, you're failing spectacularly."

A hint of annoyance showed up on Hench's face just for a moment, then he simply shrugged with a smirk – should she really get that job, it would be better for her to drop that attitude around her new employer… unless she wanted to be unemployed again in record time and with her most recent memories erased from her mind, of course. "Let's just say your potential employer would rather not take any risks until he's sure he wants to hire someone," he said "then again, I'm rather sure he'll be very interested in your résumé… and I also think you'll be _very_ interested in the pay check you would get."

Well, Shego thought, now _that_ was talking. "Okay, you got my interest now," she said – maybe she could wait a little to actually know who her potential employer would be "when and how should I expect to be contacted?" she asked "I would like to avoid surprises like a jet or something landing in my apartment while I'm bathing."

Hench held back and amused chuckle at the mental image. "I suppose you provided the means to contact you in your résumé, didn't you?"

"I wrote my cell phone number and e-mail address," she said with a shrug.

"They will suffice – though, if I know him well, you're most likely going to have to expect an e-mail rather than a phone call."

Shego nodded, turning to leave. "Okay, I'll remember to check the mail," she said with a shrug "now I better go before those oh-so-scary bad guys over there start thinking we're conspiring to hand them over to the police or something," she said, and Hench noticed that, indeed, the people that were attending to the convention were looking at her somehow warily.

How foolish of them, he thought, shaking his head slightly – it was obvious that in a situation such as the one she had to face teaming up with Team Possible against the aliens was the only solution. And while he hadn't been surprised to see how easily Drakken had switched sides after he got the recognition that he had always craved for deep inside, Shego had always seemed one who just enjoyed evil – and she clearly enjoyed it too much to quit it anytime soon.

Besides, he mused as he glanced down at the disk in his hands before glancing at Shego's retreating back again, he was pretty sure Gemini would know better once he could take a look at her résumé and possibly test her skills himself: she certainly had all she needed to become one of his top agents. It was definitely worth a try.

* * *

"So," Gemini said smoothly, his flesh and blood hand stroking the head of his pet chihuahua, his only eye fixed on the poor agent standing below the platform on which his desk was "you failed _again_, didn't you?"

Agent Sigma swallowed. "I… it wasn't my fault, sir!" he almost squeaked "Global Justice--" he was abruptly cut off by a fit of desperate yelps and barks.

"No, no, Pepe, it's alright!" Gemini immediately shushed his pet, clamping his ears shut before glaring death to his agent – who, on the other hand, was almost wishing he could just teleport in someplace safer… like a jail cell, for example. "You must _not_ say those words in front of my puppy!" Gemini barked "look what you did to him!"

Agent Sigma seemed to shrink as he blabbered something, then he suddenly went pale and shut his mouth as he felt a dreadfully familiar buzzing noise. He swallowed and turned to see a seat emerging from under the floor.

"You must be tired, agent Sigma," Gemini said affably as his dog finally began to calm down, his sudden change of attitude utterly frightening the poor guy "have a seat."

"N… no," Sigma stuttered, taking a step back "sir, please…!"

"It's not polite refusing a seat when you're offered one," Gemini said, his voice a little colder.

Sigma was almost shaking now. "It wasn't my fault, sir, I swear! It was Glob…I mean, it was GJ…!"

Gemini dismissively waved his hand. "Now, now, there's no need to panic," he chided him almost patronizingly "why don't you just sit down and tell me what happened? No, don't even _think_ about that," he snapped as he saw Sigma hopefully glancing at the door "I wouldn't try anything rash if I were you – because in that case, you're sure to end up falling down a trapdoor. On the other hand, if you just behave and have a seat," he gestured to the seat again with his mechanical hand "we could try to just talk about it, don't you think?"

Agent Sigma hesitated.

"My patience has a _limit_, agent Sigma…" Gemini snarled, and the poor agent shuddered before he finally decided he really had no choice. He took a deep breath and just sat down. "So," Gemini resumed talking, as if they were having a chat over a coffee "what did exactly happen?"

Sigma breathed a little more easily – maybe he could really get away with it. "Well, sir, I had managed to break in and was about to acquire the item, but those Global Justice--" as _another_ fit of yelps and barks covered his last words, agent Sigma knew he had made his last mistake. He froze and glanced up at Gemini, who was holding his panicking pet closer, and he swallowed at the look of pure malevolence he was giving him.

"You had your chance, agent Sigma," Gemini said icily, and before the poor guy could react he reached to press a button on his control panel. The seat Sigma was perched onto immediately rocketed upwards and disappeared up a tunnel on the ceiling, cutting his terrified scream short.

Gemini snickered briefly as the tunnel closed once again and turned his attention back to his still trembling chihuahua. "I'm sorry, Pepe – daddy will put a quarter in the GJ jar to make up for this," he cooed at his pet. He knew he should have gotten rid of that idiot right away so he wouldn't get a chance to say those odious words again and upset his poor Pepe, but then again it was so much funnier disposing of them when they started thinking they could get away with it…! "So there will be enough quarters for a new chew toy – you would like a new chew toy, wouldn't you? Oh, yes, you would!" Gemini chuckled as his pet began yapping enthusiastically.

Gemini reached to the press another button. "Agent Tau, you're the new agent Sigma," he announced to the interphone before leaning back against his seat with a sigh. "Is it too much asking for one competent agent?" he asked aloud, petting Pepe's ears "you really _are_ the only one I can trust in here," he finally muttered, turning to glance at his desk, and he frowned as he noticed the flashing icon on the monitor.

"Looks like I got mail," he muttered, leaning forward to take a closer look, and when he finished reading he was grinning. That was perfect, just perfect! "Well, now _this_ is a great timing. Looks like good old Jack got me an early Christmas present," he said to no one in particular before he began reading Shego's résumé again with extreme interest.


	2. New job

_A/N: this chapter turned out to be quite longer than most chapters in this fanfic are supposed to be, but there was no way to cut it without it feeling incomplete. Besides hey, I had to reach 50,000 freaking' words in a month. The more I wrote, the better. Besides, their interaction was a lot more fun to write then I would have expected._

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* * *

  
_

"So, your first workday was bad, uh?" Shego yawned and took another sip of coffee before she spoke again "well, that's no surprise – of course they wouldn't trust you yet. Did you think saving the world once would just wipe the slate clean?" she said, grimacing a little as she thought that apparently it had been enough to hinder _her_ reputation, and that detail prevented from really feeling empathy to her old boss even though they seemed to be in the same situation, both of them trying to fit, or fit back, among people who clearly didn't trust them.

From the other side of the line, Drakken sounded rather distressed and apparently oblivious of the fact that not too much time before he would have been pleased to know Global Justice really thought of him as a threat. "Yes, sure, I know!" he nearly whined, his enthusiasm apparently gone. Shego was pretty sure it would be back once he thought again of the new labs he got to work into – he wasn't one to give up easily – but for now he was too shocked by the realization his new job wouldn't always be rainbows and roses. "But can't anything be _easy_? Fitting in is enough of a pain already, and I still haven't gotten how things work – the only thing I know is that Dr. Director is the Big Mighty Boss, and I already made a fool out of myself the same moment I met her because I threw up in front of her," he rambled on, and Shego couldn't help but snicker.

"Yes, you already told me. Now _that_ was one heck of a first impression, eh, Dr. D?"

Drakken groaned. "You're _not helping_, Shego."

"I was just trying to lighten up the mood, Dr. D," she shrugged and finished her coffee before putting down the now empty cup "so, how bad was it again?" she asked, leaning against the wall and getting ready for yet another tirade.

"It was awful. And as if having everyone giving me funny looks, there was a stupid _kid_ dressed up like a GJ agent that had a lot of fun making it worse," he complained "he kept contradicting everything I said, and made remarks on everything I did since when I was born or something – I thought he had learned my file by memory! How the _heck_ did they get that much information about me?" he complained, gritting his teeth as he thought back of how much _fun_ that Will Du guy had mocking him. Did it have to be such an annoying jerk to be the one who had to keep an eye on him? Couldn't they pick someone else, anyone? Even Kim Possible would have been more bearable!

"Well, it's a crime fighting secret organization we're talking about. Knowing everything about everyone if what their job is about."

"But it's still _annoying_," Drakken grumbled "it was like they were using everything they had to make me as uncomfortable as they could!"

"Maybe they're getting you back because they got a lot of work because of you?" Shego suggested.

"But it was always Kim Possible to spoil my plans!"

"Yeah, but I'm ready to bet she wasn't the one who got stuck with the clean-up duty after she saved the day," she said "and I bet that some of them are just jealous because you saved the world and they didn't. You couldn't expect everyone to _like_ your success," she added, thinking of how most villains seemed less than happy with their – _his_ – little… betrayal.

She could almost _see_ Drakken dropping his shoulders as he sighed. "Oh, _snap_."

"Well, maybe they're like that with all newcomers. I bet that happens with a lot of newbies that _didn't_ try to take over the world at least twice a week for years," she pointed out "anyway, forget what the agents did or said, it's the Big Boss' opinion you should worry about."

"I _threw up_ in front of the Big Boss when she offered me the job, remember?"

"Well, you also threw up all upon Dementor at some convention. And on Commodore Puddles a couple of months before that. And--"

"Shego! This is still _not helping_!"

"Geez, Doc, relax," she rolled her eyes "it could be worse anyway. At least you didn't do anything like, say, making a computer or the whole base blow up… did you?"

"Of course not!" Drakken protested, sounding nearly outraged and oddly worried. He didn't even want to think about that possibility, especially since it would be all too easy for GJ to think he had done so on purpose to sabotage them or something. He was sure Will Du would be _delighted_ should anything like that happen…!

"Then there is no reason to worry. Okay, you didn't make the greatest entrance ever, but you didn't mess up spectacularly either. And if the Bog Boss wants you in their ranks, it must be because she thinks you could help. She wouldn't have offered you that job otherwise, and she must have taken in account that it would probably would take you a while to fit in."

"I told you, Shego, this is not fu--" Drakken trailed off. There were a few moments of silence, then: "…wait. No teasing?"

"Hey, I could start now if you want me to. Let's see, where to begin…?"

"What? No, wait! I didn't mean--"

After about half an hour, a lot of taunts and some slight encouragement from her side and more complaints and ramblings from Drakken's – although he did seem to calm down a little at the thought that if Dr. Director had decided to hire she clearly had seen his potential – Shego finally hung the phone with a sigh. Well, it looked like Dr. D was having some trouble with his new life…but at least he did have something to _do_, unlike her. She glanced at her laptop a little thoughtfully – what was she about to do before Drakken phoned to whine a little?

Oh, right: she was about to check the mail. She sighed and sat in front of her laptop to start getting rid of some of the junk e-mails that clogged her inbox. If it wasn't for the fact she had found the best hair stylist ever thanks to e-mail ads, she would have thought the world would be a far better place without that stuff forcing people to spend time deleting all the junk. Not that she _cared_ about making the world a better place – quite the contrary, really – still…

She blinked as her gaze fell on some e-mail she had been about to delete, and good thing she hadn't – an e-mail whose subject is 'job interview' is not the kind of e-mail an unemployed person would delete. It was somewhat funny how… normal the whole thing had to seem to anyone who didn't _know_ what kind of job it was. It looked like Jack Hench actually had handed her résumé to someone after all, she thought, glancing at the sender – it just read 'Gemini'.

She frowned in thought. "Gemini…?" she repeated, then she nodded to herself as she remembered exactly who he was. She had only seen him a few times at some conventions, really, and she had never spoken to him directly – he didn't hang out much with the rest of the villain community, which of course had caused a lot of assumption and just plain gossips about him. The only things Shego knew for certain were that he was the leader of a very powerful shadow organization called the Worldwide Evil Empire – a detail that hadn't failed to gain him quite some admiration from the other villains: most of them couldn't keep a handful of henchmen under control, let alone ruling a whole organization – and that he happened to be the twin brother of the head of Global Justice.

That was a detail that had of course given the villain community more stuff to gossip about, with some people accusing him of actually being a spy and some others claiming he had lost his eye and hand in a fight against his sister; the fact that the leader of GJ herself happened to be one eye short kind of fit that explanation. As for herself, Shego hadn't really cared much of what she heard now she had given much thought to the matter, but as someone who knew exactly what it's like growing so tired of your siblings to pass on the opposite side she couldn't help but like the fact there was someone else beside herself who was ruthless enough to go against his own family.

She paused for a moment, her eyes widening a little as a sudden thought crossed her mind – should Gemini really hire her, she and Dr. D would be on opposite sides, literally: it was no real mystery to anyone in the villain community that most of the crimes WEE was involved into were against Global Justice, and everyone knew GJ put a lot of effort in trying to take down Gemini and his Worldwide Evil Empire. She bit her lower lip, fully knowing there was simply no way in heck she could view Drakken as an enemy or something, then she shrugged; they wouldn't really be enemies, just… working on opposite sides. It was just business after all, nothing personal, and she was sure Drakken would view it that way too.

_Besides, he chose his side and you chose yours. Why should you let a good chance pass by?_

_Hey, wait a moment – it could not be that good at all._

_There is only one way to find out, isn't it?_

Yes, there was only one way. "Well, let's see," Shego muttered, clicking on the e-mail.

_To the attention of Ms. Shego Go;_

_I have read your résumé with extreme attention, and I have to admit I'm rather impressed: an agent with your skills and experience is exactly what my organization needs. But of course, I require to meet you for a proper interview before I hire you; a pure formality, maybe, but I must be certain my terms are perfectly clear to you before you sign anything. I wouldn't want either of us to regret anything after all._

Shego raised an eyebrow at the implied threat – then again, she had heard some stuff about people being hired by Gemini and never getting back. She had always thought of them as simple rumours, but still…she shook her head slightly and resumed reading.

_Of course, it wouldn't be the kind of occasional job you could have been keeping yourself busy with since when you left your previous employer; it's a full time job that requires your presence in whatever WEE base you might be needed from Monday to Friday, since missions assignments aren't always predictable. Your presence might be occasionally required during weekends as well, but you can be certain that if you can do your job properly you'll be generously rewarded in those occasions_

_What follows is my offer, non-negotiable. If you're interested, let me know and I'll arrange a meeting as soon as possible. I suppose there is no need to point out you'd have to come alone; should out radars detect any other presence but yours I might decide to recur to drastic measures, and that would be a pity. Needless to say, any kind of tracking/communication device is strictly off-limits. Also, no cats._

_Sincerely,  
Gemini, leader of WEE. _

Shego didn't even read the last few lines of the e-mail, and even if she did she wouldn't have been able to bring herself to notice the not so subtle threats: all she could so for now was staring at the number on the screen. She closed her eyes, opened them and counted the zeros again. And again, just to be completely sure. No, it wasn't a mistake – he was really offering her _that_ much money. And he had even lost time to say it wasn't negotiable – what person in their right mind would ever _think_ about negotiating a paycheck like that?

"Well, now this is great news," she muttered to herself before she immediately began to type her reply. She couldn't leave a such chance pass by without even trying, could she?

Besides, she couldn't deny she was a little intrigued: after all the rumours she had heard about Gemini, she was really curious to find out herself just how evil he truly was.

* * *

"Oh, who's the cutest puppy in the whole wide world? Uh? Who is? You are!" Gemini cooed, his flesh and blood hand scratching his pet's belly. Pepe gave a satisfied yelp, waving his tail as he always did whenever he got a belly scratch.

"Uh…sir?" a slightly embarrassed voice spoke as a monitor switched on.

Gemini turned his attention from his dog – not without uttering some other nonsense – to the large monitor on the opposite wall, from which a rather nervous agent Beta was looking at him in slight embarrass: his boss fussing over that dog was a scene he was always glad to spare himself. "Yes, agent Beta?"

"The candidate is here."

"Good," Gemini said approvingly, glancing down at the clock – she was perfectly on time, and that was something he appreciated greatly. There were few things – a lot of things, really, but still few by his standards – that annoyed him more than having to wait. "Is she alone?"

"Yes, sir. The radars only detected her presence."

"Perfect. Tracking devices?"

"Apparently none."

"_Apparently_?" Gemini's eye narrowed dangerously.

"Er…I mean, we're certain she had none – we couldn't intercept any kind of signal coming from her."

Gemini nodded. "Fine. Start the procedures to rise the base to surface."

Beta seemed surprised. "The whole base, sir? Wouldn't it be easier just opening the entrance to let her in…?"

Gemini's only eye narrowed until it was nothing more than a slit of pure malevolence. "Are you _questioning_ my orders, agent Beta?" he inquired, his voice as cold as ice, and Pepe immediately began growling…as if his owner wasn't more than enough to intimidate the agents.

The poor man immediately paled and shook his head almost frantically. "No, sir, not at all," he said quickly "I was simply wondering…"

"I want you to bring the whole base to surface because I want her to see _exactly_ what kind of organization she's getting involved with," Gemini cut him off. Did that guy really think he would let a such opportunity to impress a newbie pass by? As if! That had always been the funniest part in recruiting new agents. Other than disposing of unfit candidates right away, of course: _that_ was even better.

Agent Beta immediately nodded. "Yes, sir – we'll start with the procedure immediately."

"You better do so. Tell agent Gamma I want him to lead her here. Without shortcuts, I want to make sure she has to…walk a little before she gets here," he said with a slight smirk – it was another little trick to impress new recruits, making them walk through a maze of hallways and rooms in the huge subterranean lair "and then I want him you to join the others and get ready. I _don't_ have to remind you what you have to do, do I?"

"No, sir – everyone will be ready."

"I really hope so, agent Beta – it's your responsibility to make sure everything goes as planned," Gemini said before he switched off the screen and leant back against his seat, reaching to take Pepe in the crook of his arm "alright, let's see what she's got.

* * *

"Great, seems like the Mighty One couldn't even give me the _right_ coordinates," Shego grumbled as she glanced around, only to be greeted by the sight of mountains and no sign of human activity. She was sure she hadn't made any mistake, so he had certainly given her the wrong coordinates – there was no other way to explain how they had led her in the middle of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, was there?

She sighed and leant more comfortably against the hovercraft Drakken had given her as a goodbye gift or something – she had to admit it was a quick and effective vehicle to move around… not to mention that she had gotten used at piloting aircrafts throughout the years she had worked for him. She shook her head slightly to get rid of that stupid sense of nostalgia she felt any time she thought about it and glanced around again; still not sign of human activity. Fine, she would wait five more minutes, and if she didn't see anyone by then she would just…

Shego was suddenly snapped from her thoughts as a threatening rumbling noise filled the air and the ground began to shake. "What…?" she muttered, all her muscles tensing, then she blinked as she noticed the ground was starting _split_ in front of her. She took a few steps backwards, leaning against the hovercraft to not lose her balance as the earth kept shaking, and she couldn't help but feel rather impressed as a huge metallic construction literally emerged from underground. "Well, not bad," she muttered to no one in particular, raising an eyebrow. It really was huge – way bigger than any of Drakken's lairs – and she got the distinct feeling there was even more of it under the surface.

"Miss Go?"

Shego turned to see a man wearing a purple uniform, some Greek character on his chest and goggles walking up to her – busy as she was looking at the base, she hadn't even noticed him coming. "Yeah, that's me. And you are…?"

"Agent Gamma. Gemini is waiting for you in the control room – he sent me to show you the way."

Shego nodded. "Sure," she said, following him, who on the other hand just nodded slightly and walked to a platform beneath the metallic structure that had just emerged from the ground. "Neat trick, by the way," Shego said as the platform was lifted to get them into the base.

Gamma blinked. "Trick?"

"The base popping out from the ground," she clarified "a bit of a cliché, but quite impressive. I take it the boss has a thing for dramatic stuff?"

The agent chuckled as the platform got them inside. "Oh, yes, he does. You have no idea…" he paused and coughed "er, I mean… yes, Gemini isn't one to think small."

Shego raised an eyebrow at the sudden change of attitude. Why did that guy look so nervous now? Was his boss really _that_ scary? "I noticed," she said, following him to a thick steel door, which whooshed aside to reveal a long, artificially lit hallway. She ignore and unfamiliar sense of uneasiness as they began walking through it, their footsteps echoing in the silence – not that she was nervous, she had no reason to be, still…

She shook her head a little was about to add something else – not that she really wished to make conversation, but that silence was unnerving her and it wouldn't hurt getting some more info about Gemini before she met him – but she closed it without speaking and blinked as she heard an odd rumbling noise. "Sinking back underground now that the show is over?" Shego asked.

"Pretty much," Gamma said almost sheepishly as another steel door opened in front of them "this way."

Shego couldn't exactly tell how long they had kept walking through that place, but it felt like an hour or two. They had walked through countless empty hallways and a lot of rooms that were buzzing with activity instead, with a lot of other agents with some Greek letters on their uniforms that could glance at her with a mixture of suspicion and apprehension. None of them said a word to either her or agent Gamma as they kept walking.

"You guys are not much for bonding with colleagues, are you?" Shego asked, raising an eyebrow. All the henchmen Drakken had had over the years ended up being more like bowling buddies than actual henchmen, and it wasn't unusual to find them chatting while on duty or planning some picnic for the weekend. Those people, however, seemed to barely acknowledge agent Gamma's presence.

Gamma shrugged. "I have only been here for a couple of weeks or so. Besides… uh…" he seemed to hesitate "I know it's not a very encouraging thing to say right now, but a lot of agents don't last very long. Gemini is very demanding; you fail him once, you're fired."

Shego nodded – so he _was_ as hard to please as she had heard. Still, she wasn't worried; she had more than enough confidence in her skills to know he wasn't someone any villain with half a brain would fire. "I'll keep it in mind," she said as they finally stopped in front of yet another steel door – this time even larger and probably thicker than the others. All that was missing was a nice writing reading 'the Boss is here', Shego thought sarcastically.

"Here we are," Gamma said, reaching to press a button next to the door – they usually just walked in without doing that, but Gemini had insisted for them to do so in front of the candidates, and no one would dare to displease him "sir, the candidate is here."

"Perfect – do let her in and get back to your duties," Gemini's voice came from the interphone, and the door buzzed open. Gamma glanced at her and mouthed something that sounded like 'good luck' before he turned to leave.

Shego stared his retreating back for a few moment, and just for a few instants she almost – almost – felt somewhat uncertain about the whole thing, then she shook her head and just stepped inside.

Even before she heard the door buzzing close behind her, Shego registered two things: that the room was huge, and aside from the monitors, screens and machine in the walls it was apparently empty… aside for the flight of stairs that led to an elevated platform. She tilted up her head to look up, and she finally saw Gemini sitting behind a desk on the platform, his only eye fixed on her and a trembling and rather wary-looking chihuahua cradled in the crook of his arm. She did remember that little bugger from one of the few villain conventions Gemini had cared to attend to: Dementor had accidentally stepped on its tail, and it had taken some people and a lot of effort to keep Gemini from skinning Dementor alive…all while that little bugger kept whining and yelping as of someone had cut its tail off. Pathetic – why in the world was that guy attached to a yelping rat like that one?

"Shego Go, I suppose," Gemini was saying, still observing her, his flesh and blood hand stroking Pepe's head soothingly – his poor puppy could get awfully stressed when he met a stranger.

"Yeah, that was my name last time I checked," Shego said, cocking her eyebrow – was it really necessary to make that little scene? He wasn't _supposing_ anything, he knew it was her: he had seen her at some conventions, and the she had a picture for herself in her résumé as well. Then again, she guessed that had to be the way he addressed to all recruits.

Gemini scowled slightly, and Shego realized that _maybe_ that wasn't the right way to reply to the guy who's supposed to hire you – years of bantering with Drakken had made her rather laid back on formalities like that. But now she knew she was on thin ice: from what she had heard, that guy was awfully short tempered and easy to anger. She better be careful until she knew something more – he wasn't Dr. D, that was for sure. "It's not like I use the surname that often," she added, hoping it would be enough to make her reply seem somewhat less disrespectful "it brings up some unwanted connection."

Gemini's scowl melted – oh, right, her brothers. Well, he supposed he could relate to that: he knew exactly what it was like having an annoying sibling whose reputation could backfire on him. He nodded. "I understand," he muttered "now, don't just stand there – have a seat," he said, pressing a button, and a seat emerged from the ground with a buzzing noise. Those words and that sound would have made any of his agents tremble, but since she obviously didn't know how his ways to… dispose of his agents, she didn't even flinch and just sat.

"I hope finding us wasn't any trouble," Gemini said affably, though his mechanical hand stayed near the button that could make her seat rocket upwards.

"I had no trouble to get here, but I was starting to wonder if it was the right place until the base popped up from the underground. Neat trick, by the way."

"Why, thank you – it never gets old, does it?" Gemini said somewhat smugly, clearly satisfied to hear that "I hope you didn't get scared," he added, scratching Pepe's ears again as he whined a little, quivering – it was clear it hadn't really appreciated the way the base had shook while coming up to surface and then back underground.

Shego narrowed her eyes. "I don't _scare_," she said.

Gemini shrugged and waved his hand, apparently oblivious of the cold note in her voice. "Of course not, I should have known better," he said, then he glanced up at a monitor on his desk again. Shego faintly wondered what he was looking at, but she couldn't see from there – much to her annoyance, his desk was located so high above her that she had to tilt back her head just to see him. That, together with the fact the base was needlessly huge, seriously made her wonder if that guy was trying to compensate for something. Maybe he should also have gotten a bigger and possibly less psychotic dog, she mused. She was about to smirk at the thought, but she managed not to.

"Anyway, I read your résumé," he said, as if he hadn't already and that wasn't the _reason_ why she was there "and I have to admit it's quite impressive. From what I could gather, it's been over a month since when you split ways with your previous employer," he grimaced a little, apparently unable to use Dr. D's villain name now that he had become some kind of traitor to him and the rest of the villain community "how comes you're still unemployed? Someone with your skills and expertise shouldn't have any trouble to find a job," he added, intently staring at her.

Shego bit her lower lip – it was a trap, obviously: he _had_ to be aware of the rumour of her being a spy of the do-gooders along with Drakken and some other nonsense like that. And even if he hadn't, Hench had probably informed him. If she lied to him and made up some other excuse, he would know she was lying. If she told him the truth, on the other hand, he would basically and up dwelling in the detail she had helped to _save_ the world. She better choose carefully her words, she decided. "Well, after that, you know… thing with alien invaders, Dr. D kind of gave up on world domination. He constantly tried to take over the world to get recognition, so after he got it by defeating the Lowardians he had no reason to keep being a bad guy and all that stuff. So he didn't need me anymore, and we split ways."

Gemini raised an eyebrow. "This still doesn't explain why you're still unemployed, does it?" he said smoothly.

Shego lifted her hands. "What can I say? Apparently, preventing two crazed aliens from taking over the planet was a good guy thing, and the villain community didn't appreciate."

"Well, it certainly _wasn't_ a bad guy thing," Gemini pointed out.

"I know, but what else could I do? I went after them because they had my boss at first," she said "and I had to get him back, I still owed me two pay checks. And after that, being involved in the whole 'let's take down the alien threat' was inevitable. They were trying to destroy us – it was them or us. And I kinda like being alive and well, you know."

He nodded. "Yes, you do have a point – an alien invasion would have certainly hindered everyone's evil plans," he conceded "and what about the rumours about your previous employer currently working for Glo-- for GJ?" he asked slyly "are you aware of it?"

Shego shrugged – to some extent she was kind of glad for Dr. D, but that wasn't something she could say. "Hey, why should I care? I quit before that. What he's doing now is none of my concern."

Gemini seemed pleased by her reply. "I see. So I suppose that if you happened to have to work _against_ him…?"

"I would. If we're on opposite sides, we play against each other – that's how it works. I do the same with my _brothers_, let alone with my former employer!" she said, starting to grow increasingly annoyed – why the heck should _her_ work be affected by what Drakken did?

Much to her surprise, Gemini laughed, apparently oblivious of the annoyance in her voice. "Well, now that's exactly what I wanted to hear," he said with a smirk, then he glanced at her again, this time a little thoughtfully. "Of course, since you're be the only woman to be recruited here, I'll need to get a new uniform for you."

Shego blinked. Wait, what? "Wait a minute," she protested "are you seriously saying I should wear that thing?"

Gemini seemed taken aback. "What's wrong with that uniform?" he asked, sounding a little offended. His mechanical hand crept closer to the ejection button.

She shrugged. "Lets' just say it's not my thing. I'd rather keep my usual attire, if you don't mind."

"Well, I _do_ mind. You do realize, of course, that you're asking a lot," Gemini muttered a little sulkily, and Pepe whined as he stopped scratching his ears.

"I didn't say I want a billion dollars cash, I'm just saying I'm not going to wear that uniform," she pointed out "it would be one the only clause in my contract. Why should you _care_ of what I'm wearing as long as I get the job done?"

Gemini waved his mechanical hand. "It's a matter of _protocol_ – everyone here wears this uniform, me included," he gestured at his own clothes for emphasis "why shouldn't _you_?" he asked, his only eye narrowing in what Shego couldn't tell was disapproval or actual curiosity. Maybe a mixture of both, she decided.

"Well, purple isn't my colour to begin with," she said with a shrug "I mean, green and purple? _C'mon_…" she was about to add something about how not even someone with a fashion sense as lousy as his _had_ to realize it would be a pain to look at, but she refrained just in time, knowing he probably wouldn't take it well. He's not Dr. D, she reminded herself. _Definitely_ not Dr. D.

Gemini scoffed. "This organization is about chaos and illegality – fashion is not on top of our priorities… it's not among our priorities _at all_; I thought you were more professional than this. If there isn't a valid reason why you refuse to wear the uniform…"

Shego rolled her eyes. "Alright, fine," she said "I don't like the colour, _and_ I wouldn't be caught dead wearing it because it's Mego's colour. One of my brothers'," she clarified, but Gemini didn't seem to need any clarification.

"Oh, right," he chuckled "I've heard about your years as a heroine. I also happened to have something to do with your brothers a couple of years back," he said, and from his smirk Shego could easily tell he had come out from that encounter as the winner. Not bad, she had to admit: her brothers could get cheesy and annoying – _very_ cheesy and _awfully_ annoying – but they were still rather competent when it came to crime fighting.

"In that case, you have seenwhat kind of lousy do-gooders they are," she said, shifting a little one the seat and shrugging – having to stay in a sitting position with her head tilted back was making her neck ache "I had a hard time separating my reputation from theirs already. I wouldn't wear the colours of _any_ of them any more than you would be willing to wear a Global Justice unif--" she trailed off, a little startled as the chihuahua in Gemini's arms – who had been trembling and glancing at her warily the whole time – suddenly began yapping uncontrollably.

"Hush, Pepe," Gemini shushed the yelping creature, holding it a little tighter "she just said two very, _very_ bad words," he added, glaring at her before he began cooing again at the chihuahua.

Shego raised an eyebrow, wondering how could he not realize just how utterly pathetic it was witnessing an adult – a villain, moreover – fussing over a yelping little bugger like that. "So it _really_ has a hissy fit anytime someone names GJ aloud."

Gemini glared at her in annoyance. "He has bad memories of GJ," he said somewhat sulkily, and Shego had to actually fight the urge to roll her eyes.

"Alright, fine – my bad, I won't say that again," she said, holding up her hands "anyway, don't tell me you don't know what it's like doing your best to stay away from _anything_ that might make you look like your annoying, do-gooder sibling. I mean, would you wear anything similar to a GJ uniform?" she asked slyly, fully knowing that would hit a nerve.

Predictably enough, Gemini snorted. "_Never_!" he barked, as if she had just suggested him he should wear a pink fluffy dress, then he sighed. "I suppose I see your point," he finally said "fine, you have the permission to keep wearing your usual attire. But you won't be getting the laundry discount," he added, folding his arms.

"I'll live with it," Shego said, unable to block out all the sarcasm from her voice.

Her sarcasm didn't escape him. "I should warn you beforehand – I won't tolerate any kind of disrespect from you, just as I don't tolerate it from anyone else. I hope I made it perfectly clear," he told her, a threatening note in his voice.

For the first time since when she had set foot in that base, Shego hesitated. For a moment she was reminded of how working under Zorpox' command had been – she had found it incredibly annoying, and the fact she couldn't have her way anymore without actually risking to be dumped into a shark-infested pool was simply infuriating. Gemini was apparently, very, very similar to him, or at least way less willing than Drakken was to let her have the last word.

Then again, just like Zorpox, he seemed to be _competent _in a way Drakken had never been, and that alone probably made it worth holding back her sarcasm and just doing her job: she could always quit if she didn't like it after all. It probably wasn't going to be as fun as working with Dr. D had been, she thought… then again, no one was Dr. D. "Crystal clear, boss," she finally replied.

Gemini nodded, apparently satisfied, and leant back against his seat. "Very well, looks like we have a deal. There is just one more thing though."

"And that thing is…?"

"_Fire_!"

"Wha…?" Shego let out a gasp of surprise as WEE agents apparently came our from nowhere – they had probably surrounded her while they were speaking, and she hadn't even noticed since her head was tilted back to look up – and began shooting at her. A trap! Shego cursed under hear breath and leapt forward, barely avoiding being hit by a laser beam. She landed on her palms and sprang back on her feet, then she lit up her hands and shot some blasts of plasma in quick succession, managing to hit some of the agents. The ones she hadn't hit paused to glance at their fallen companions, astonished, and that brief moment's hesitation was all she needed to recollect and attack.

Gemini couldn't help but grin as she saw Shego single-handedly beating the crap out of his men. "Even better that I thought," he said, leaning back to enjoy the scene beneath him while petting his beloved chihuahua, faintly thinking he wouldn't mind having some popcorn at the moment. He enjoyed the scene for a couple more minutes. "Stop shooting," he finally said calmly, and all the agents – well, the ones still standing and capable of holding a weapon – immediately stopped… even though with some hesitation, as if they couldn't decide what scared them the most between Shego's plasma and their destiny should they disobey to an order from their leader.

"What the _hell_…?!" Shego finally found the breath to snarl at him, raising her still lit up hands, her murderous gaze fixed on him "now you're _so_ _screwed_ that…"

"You're hired."

"…uh?" Shego blinked in surprise as she finally put two and two together "what _was_ that, some kind of test?"

Gemini shrugged. "Precisely. I heard wonders about your competence, and thus I decided I could as well test you – just to make sure what I heard was the truth, of course. And looks like it is," he added, looking somewhat amused as he glanced at his still whimpering agents "now, if you want to get me back for this little…surprise, feel free to go ahead: I'll classify you as a threat and behave accordingly," he grinned, flexing his mechanical fingers "but if you're still interested, you're hired. You know my offer."

Shego – who had been about to say something about how psychos like him should be locked up in a padded cell and that she would rather quit before she even started if staying would involve being shot without a particular reason – promptly stopped herself at his words. Yes, she knew what his offer was, she knew it very well because it had been what had convinced her to accept that job in the first place: it was a darn lot of money, even more than she had ever gotten while working for Drakken – whose pay checks were rather generous – and _definitely_ much more than she had been offered for any other job the villain community seemed to offer to her.

What the heck, that was the _only_ decent job the villain community could offer her at that point. Maybe she could get over all the rest, at least for a while… and should things not work out, she could still quit after getting some pay checks and a good occasion to fix her reputation in the villain community by showing everyone without a shadow of doubt that she was _evil_. "Fine," she said, forcing herself to calm down and lowering her hands, making the plasma disappear "I'm in."

Gemini seemed satisfied. "Perfect – you'll start next Monday as agent Beta," he said. Newbies usually started off with a much lower rank, but after seeing what she was actually capable of he saw no point in wasting her potential by having her cutting car wires or stuff like that. If he had ever met anyone that truly deserved to be his agent Beta, it was her.

"But, sir!" one of the agents protested, unceremoniously dropping on the ground some other agent he was trying to help up "_I_ am agent Beta!"

Shego blinked as a deadly silence fell on the room, as if that guy had just signed his death sentence or something – agent Beta himself seemed to think so, for he suddenly seemed to shrink and began blabbering. Everyone's eyes turned up to Gemini, and Shego looked up as well to see a somewhat thoughtful look on his face as he kept scratching his dog's ears.

"That's right," Gemini finally said smoothly "a most unfortunate problem we should solve right away, shouldn't we? Agent Beta, step a little on your left, if you don't mind."

The poor guy went awfully pale. "S… sir, please…"

"Move on you left, I said – I don't like having to repeat orders," Gemini pointed out, his only eye narrowing, a worrying clicking sound coming from his mechanical hand, and agent Beta finally complied, shaking. Shego glanced around to see utter fear on the agents' faces, but none of them was uttering one single word – what in the world was going on?

Her unexpressed question got an answer as Gemini pressed a button on his control panel. The floor immediately opened under agent Beta's feet, causing the poor man to fall down the chasm with a shriek before closing again. "Problem solved," Gemini said smoothly before turning to his other agents. "Anyone else has ay complaints?" he asked affably. Needless to say, no one dared to breath one single word, which seemed to satisfy their leader greatly. "In this case, get back to your duties. You're not done for today yet."

Despite the fact she knew Gemini wouldn't hesitate to reserve her the same treatment should she ever give any reason to – then again, she had enough confidence in her skills and general competence to think she wouldn't… not to mention she would put up a fight and make a run for it rather than willingly walking over any trapdoor like that idiot had – Shego couldn't hold back a smirk as she watched all agents running out of the main room at once, a few of them actually shrieking.

After years working for someone like Drakken, who utterly failed at scaring anyone but young children – and sometimes not even them – it felt _odd_ seeing a bunch of henchmen (or agents, or whatever) that were so scared by their leader that they immediately rushed to obey to any order he gave them. No, they were not scared: they were terrified. It was _evil_, and she rather liked it. "Well, now _this_ is ruling the roost with an iron fist. No pun intended," she said, glancing up at Gemini with something close to respect for the first time.

He seemed somewhat flattered. "It's a matter or practice," was all he said, flexing his mechanical fingers before turning his seat so he could turn his back to her "as I was saying, you'll start on Monday at seven in the morning, but you can get here the previous day to settle – you know the way by now. Ask for agent Gamma. You already met him, didn't you?"

"We didn't really have a chat or something, but yes."

"Perfect. By the way, what's you're knowledge of Greek alphabet?"

"It doesn't get past Delta," she said "and I'm not even sure of how that is written."

"In that case you might want to learn the rest of the alphabet so you won't have any trouble to understand to what agent I could be referring to," he said.

"Sure. No problem."

"Very well. As I was saying, when you get back here ask for agent Gamma. He will show you your room and give you a proper tour of the base. Or, at least, to the parts of the base agents are allowed into."

"Are you sure one day will be enough to see it all?" Shego asked, raising an eyebrow "one couldn't say you think small."

She heard him chuckling from his seat. "I leave small thinking to small people, agent Beta," he said, then he began cooing as a whining noise was heard "no, no, Pepe, daddy wasn't referring to you…"

Shego rolled her eyes, suddenly a lot less impressed than she was a minute before.


	3. First mission

_A/N: while writing I wasn't sure if it was a good idea giving Shego her first mission as a WEE agent so soon, but I figured out a chapter about stuff like visiting the base and moving in would be boring as heck. __So yeah, here's her first mission. She clibs ranks quickly, but hey, it's Shego we're talking about, so that's hardly a surprise _XD

* * *

Well, Shego mused as she glanced around, that place was finally starting to look more like a room. A little messy, maybe, but she would put everything in place later: now she just needed to eat and rest a little. It wasn't the first time she moved, of course – while working with Drakken they pretty much needed a new lair every week or two – but in those cases she already had most of what she needed in each lair. Now she had to bring most of her stuff with her, though she kept some stuff in a suitcase in case she needed to be moved in another base… and man, hadn't it been tiring, she mused.

"Does the accommodation meet your standards, agent Beta?"

Shego blinked as Gemini's voice reached her ears. She turned to the point from which his voice had come, but no one was there. "What the…?"

"There's an interphone on the wall," Gemini's voice sounded slightly amused now "you can't see because it's hidden by some shelves, I think. Every room has one should I need to communicate with any agent in any moment," he said "I could as well need all of you in the middle of the night in case there is some emergency."

"Ah," Shego raised an eyebrow "I hope there isn't a hidden camera or something," she said, mentally thinking of some rather painful ways to kill him should there really be a camera in her room.

"My, of course not," Gemini's voice sounded mockingly wounded now "who you take me for?"

"A bad guy, maybe?" she suggested dryly, her eyes scanning the room to see if there could be a camera anywhere.

"There is a difference between being a villain and a low pervert, agent Beta," Gemini said, his voice a little colder "rest assure that there is no such thing as a camera in your room. Or do you think I'm lying?" he asked, a threatening note in his voice.

Great, she was managing to get on his nerves already… then again, she had to be sure he wasn't really spying on her or something. "No, of course not," she said quickly – though taking the mental note of checking to be sure before she went to bed – before replying to his original question "anyway, nice room. Do all agents have rooms like this?" she asked. Huge as that base was, she wouldn't be surprised.

Gemini snorted. "Of course not, this is not some hotel: such accommodations have to be earned. It depends on the rank: only the highest rank agents – meaning you, Gamma and Delta – have their own room. All the others have to share. Of course, should you prove yourself to be… unfit to be my agent Beta, things would change."

"Yeah, I guessed that," she said. Even though she didn't precisely love being called with a Greek letter rather than with her name, she had no intention to end up with a lower rank… especially if it would be losing those benefits. Last thing she wanted was having to share anything with anyone, let alone a room with a bunch of male agents. "It's not going to happen."

Gemini seemed amused. "You certainly don't lack of confidence, do you?"

"Should I?" Shego grinned before frowning in thought a little "anyway, is it me or there is a letter missing? Shouldn't it be Alpha the first letter of the Greek alphabet?"

"So you did learn the Greek alphabet as I told you to," Gemini sounded rather pleased.

"Sure I did, but I _did_ know what the first letter is before already, so unless you call yourself Alpha or something there is a letter missing."

"I still haven't found anyone fit for _that_ rank," he just said before changing subject "in any case, aren't you wondering why I contacted you?"

"Not just to ask me if I like the room, I guess."

"Obviously not. It was to let you know I want you to report in the control room tomorrow morning at seven to receive your first assignment," he said. He normally waited some time before sending out new agents for missions, but with her skills and experience he supposed it would only be a waste of time. And if she couldn't live up his expectations… well, at least he wouldn't have to pay her at all since it was her first day: he would simply dispose of her as he did with all agents.

Shego couldn't help but grin at the thought she would _finally_ get some action again. "Perfect!"

He couldn't hold back a chuckle. "You seem impatient to get to work," he commented, clearly pleased – he couldn't remember any of his agents being that eager "I like that."

"It's been a while since last time I got to do what I like best, and I got _bored_," she lightened up her hand almost absentmindedly, staring at the plasma for a few seconds "it will be fun getting back to work."

"Seems like we're going to get along, agent Beta," Gemini muttered with a snicker "as long as you don't fail, of course. Tomorrow morning at seven o'clock – I don't like having to wait," he reminded her before interrupting the communication.

* * *

While they surely were not the most competent people she had ever worked with, Shego had to admit that the WEE agents – well, at least the ones who were assisting her on that mission – were far more competent than Drakken's henchmen had ever been. Not that it took much to be better than those idiots Drakken hired because they worked cheap, but it was still something.

If anything they could climb up a building without getting tired immediately, the mused as she finally reached the roof of the building. She ignored the cameras – Gemini had already told her that agent Delta had hacked his way in the security system to they would keep playing the same registered images over and over instead of recording them – and took out the thermal goggles. She brought the goggles to her eyes and glanced down at the floor… that was actually the ceiling of the room below.

"Only three guards," she said with a shrug "I thought worse."

"Don't underestimate them, agent Beta," Gemini's voice came from her earpiece "if they give the alarm, a lot more will come and the whole mission would be compromised. You have to get rid of them before they can even _realize_ what's going on."

"Don't worry, boss, I know what I'm doing," she said with a slight shrug "this is nothing compared to the security measures in the Hench Co. industries."

A chuckle came from her earpiece. "Yes, Hench did tell about your own idea of… purchasing his products," he said "in any case, I expect nothing but the best from you."

"As I said, no problem," Shego replied before tuning to the others "I saw an air vent on the side of the building – I'll get in through that. Is there any kind of defensive mechanism I should know about inside?"

"Lasers and movement sensors. Delta is deactivating the sensors as we speak, but the lasers can only be deactivated once you're inside. You'll have to deal with those by yourself – a smoke screen will be enough to make them visible. You do have a smoke bomb, don't you?"

"Sure," Shego said, walking to the edge of the roof and turning to the other agents "I'll deal with the guards and deactivate the defences. Follow me when I tell you the way is clear," she said, and everyone nodded – none of them felt like trying anything on their own: last thing they wanted was screwing up and thus giving Gemini a reason to dispose of them.

"You're not supposed to give them any order unless it's coming from _me_," Gemini pointed out a little sulkily as she began climbing down the wall of the building until she reached air vent. She burned a hole through the grating and crawled inside.

"Sorry, boss," she said, though rolling her eyes – he wasn't there to see her after all "it just seemed the most sensible thing to do since we have to be quick."

Gemini snorted. "And in fact it was exactly what I was about to say – but I don't want them to think _you_ are the one who's giving orders."

"Hey, I'm the only one with the earpiece. For all the knew, _you_ were the one to give that order," she said reasonably, opening another grating and glancing at the room beneath her "so, the movement sensors…?"

"According to agent Delta, they've been deactivated," Gemini said, and Shego immediately leapt on the floor.

"I'm in."

"Good. There should be a door in front of you."

"Yes, here it is."

"Perfect. Type in…" there were some background noises, like someone else's voice speaking in the background "4-9-2-5-0-3. No need of the retinal scan, Delta managed to bypass that. The lasers are right past that door – use the smoke bomb to make the laser beams visible."

Shego did as instructed, and she smirked as she saw the intricate spider web of laser beams across the room – it was an old school trick, but it still worked. She glanced at the panel to deactivate the laser on the opposite wall. "I see them."

"Perfect. I trust you know what to do from now on, don't you?"

"I'll be on the other side in a moment," she muttered, and before he could say anything else she had already leapt forward. She landed on her palms and stayed still for a split of second before she flipped on her feet again, careful to not touch any of the thin red beams. She ducked under another laser beam, rolled forward through a few more beams before getting on her feet again. She jumped and grabbed an iron girder on the ceiling, then she swung back and forth to gain momentum before she finally leapt again.

There was no way she could reach the control panel like that, but why should she do it the complicated way? She grinned and quickly shot some plasma at the panel, which immediately fused, causing the laser beams to vanish just a moment before she safely landed on her feet again. "Lasers deactivated," she said with a just tad of smugness.

"What? In barely…" there was a moment of pause, and she guessed he was checking how long it had taken "eight seconds?" Gemini finally uttered, sounding rather incredulous "you deactivated the lasers in _eight seconds_?"

"You're right, I could have done better," Shego said with fake modesty "last time it was six seconds."

Gemini stayed silent for a few moments, still rather baffled, then she heard him laughing, clearly pleased. "Excellent work, agent Beta. Where are the guards?"

Shego reached for the thermal goggles and put them on before glancing at the steel door in front of her. "In the next room," she said, lowering her voice a little "all three in the same room, giving their back to the door – just how _dumb_ can they be?" she wondered, then she realized they were probably looking at the monitors, trusting the cameras to spot any intruder or danger before they could get close enough to threaten them directly.

"Glob… no, no, Pepe, daddy won't say that, don't' worry. I mean, GJ agents are dumb by default. All the better for us," Gemini said with a dark chuckle "I'll contact agent Gamma and tell him to bring the reinforcements to--"

"Wait, no need to do that – I can take them down by myself."

"Agent Beta, you don't get to _discuss_ my orders," Gemini barked from her earpiece, causing her to grimace – couldn't that guy speak normally?

"I'm not discussing anything," she said through gritted teeth – actually, when it came to missions like that, Drakken would leave her carte blanche: as long as she did what she had to do, he would let her do it her way. It was what made such missions fun, and she didn't really like it how he was giving her orders… even though she knew it was just normal he would since he happened to be her boss and he most definitely was _not_ Drakken.

"Oh, you're _not_?" Gemini's voice sounded dangerously like a growl now "because it sounded like you _were_!"

Shego took a deep breath – last thing she needed was having an argument with her boss in her first workday while she was barely a few steps away from three GJ agents. "I was just saying that I could take them down in a moment and then have just Gamma getting over here to download the info we need from the computer. If the others stay on the roof, we'll be quicker to get away," she said reasonably, and it was true… not that it was the true reason why she wanted to take them down herself: the truth was that she was having _fun_.

Gemini paused for a few moments, and Shego knew he was debating with himself if he should insist to do everything his way or do as she suggested – he _had_ to realize her idea made more sense, especially since he knew perfectly she would be capable to handle the GJ agents by herself... but of course, she had to take his pride and stubbornness in account. When he finally spoke again, Shego had to hold back a groan. "We'll do as I say, agent Beta," he said stubbornly, suddenly sounding much like a child insisting to play one game instead of another "wait there for the reinforcements and _don't move_. I'll tell agent Gamma to get there with some other agents."

"Yes, sir," Shego said mechanically.

_Idiot._

She sighed and leant against the wall with a frown on her face. She knew there was no reason why she should be _that_ annoyed, but she couldn't help it. She had spent too many years doing pretty much as she pleased and _loving_ it to be comfortable with taking actual orders by someone who really expected complete obedience from her. Then again, what else was there for her? Until she at least managed to clean up her reputation a little, that seemed to be the only job she could--

She was snapped from her thoughts by a crashing sound, immediately followed by the wailing of a siren.

"Oh, crap," Shego muttered, immediately taking back whatever she could have said – well, _thought_ – about the other WEE agents' competence. The door behind her immediately buzzed open, and she turned to see the three GJ agents bolting outside, holding some guns that they immediately pointed at her.

"Freeze!"

_As if._

One of the agents yelped as a blast of plasma hit him square in his chest, sending him crashing against the wall. She didn't waste a second before leaping on the second one, delivering a powerful kick to his midsection that caused him to fall backwards like a rag doll. The third agent pointed his gun at her head, but Shego reached up to grab it and ignited her hand, melting it. The agent had barely enough time to realize his weapon had been _liquefied_ before a blast of plasma hit him as well and knocked him out cold.

"Lame," she muttered just a moment before Gemini's voice came again from the earpiece.

"Agent Beta!" he barked "what in the world--!"

"Hey, it's not my fault!" she snapped "one of those idiots messed up. I took down the guards, but I need Gamma to get the information from the computer."

She heard Gemini taking a deep breath, the he seemed to recollect. "_Fine_," he said, his voice once again almost calm "agent Gamma is getting there – he knows what to do. Keep away any GJ agents that could get there while he gets the information we need from that blasted computer. The others will take the jet and get you back when you're done – is that clear?"

"Crystal clear, boss," Shego said with a grin, lighting up her hands as she saw agent Gamma running towards her "quick, do what you have to do. I'll keep them away."

"Freeze!" the first group of GJ agents got inside the room the very same moment Gamma ran into the next one. Shego's grin widened.

"Come to get me," she said before she shot some plasma at the first idiot who had gotten in "who's next?" she asked, as she leapt forward and took down another agent before he could even try to shoot. Now _that_ was what she liked in her job.

She wasn't sure of how much it had lasted – probably no more than a few minutes – when she heard Gemini speaking from the earpiece again. "Agent Gamma is done – join him immediately!"

Shego just nodded to herself – there was no point in risking his rage again: she had had her fun now – and shot some more plasma at the few agents that were still standing before turning and running to the control room, almost running into agent Gamma. "I have the data," Gamma muttered.

"Yeah, great. What now?" she asked, but before either Gamma or Gemini could reply there was a loud explosion that caused the whole building to shake, almost making her and Gamma fall one the ground.

"The jet!" Gamma exclaimed, and Shego realized that the explosion had caused part of the ceiling to collapse, and she could now see the WEE jet they had used to get there hovering barely above the roof. A rope ladder was thrown at them, and both Shego and Gamma immediately climbed on it, quickly getting inside the jet.

"Now get away from there – I want you to be back at the base _twenty minutes ago_!" Gemini's voice barked from the console, and agent Zeta immediately obeyed. Shego sighed in relief and took off her earpiece as they jet immediately departed, leaving the now half-destroyed fortified building behind.

"Who's the _idiot_ who messed up?" Gemini roared from the screen, looking more furious that most of them had ever seen him, and all agents but Shego and Gamma – who knew they had executed every order they had gotten perfectly – cringed.

"I… I'm sorry, sir, I got into the air vent, but I fell into the wrong room, and…" agent Eta whimpered, "it… it was an accident!"

Gemini immediately seemed to calm down. "But of course, it was merely an accident – no need of getting so nervous. Why don't you relax and have a seat?"

Agent Eta immediately paled. "No!" he exclaimed, taking a step backwards, but he couldn't escape something resembling a mechanical arm that suddenly came out from one of the seats and just grabbed him, forcing him on the seat and keeping him pinned there.

"It's not polite refusing a seat when you're offered one, agent Eta," Gemini said coldly, and through the screen on the console of the jet they could all see him reaching to press a button "you failed me for the last time."

Shego wasn't really surprised as the ceiling of the jet opened and the seat the poor guy was blocked onto was rocketed upwards, but she felt an odd sensation in her stomach as Eta's scream faded and the ceiling closed again; neither she or the other agents noticed the small chip that was implanted behind his neck one moment before the seat took off, and none of them knew there was a parachute attached to the seat… those were details Gemini would rather keep from them.

"So," Gemini said as he reached to pet Pepe's head, glancing at the rest of them "mission status report?"

"Mission accomplished," Shego said with a shrug "I beat up some GJ guys, and Gamma's got the data," she said, and agent Gamma held up a small disk to prove her point.

Gemini's serious expression melted in a wide grin. "Wonderful," she said, his grin broadening even more "how many GJ agents didn't you exactly beat up, agent Beta?"

"I don't know. Maybe a dozen or so," she said "I don't know if any other got hurt in the explosion."

Gemini chuckled. "Oh, _that_," he exclaimed, now sounding everything like a kid talking about some Christmas present he just got "how heavily was the facility damaged?"

"Pretty heavily, I guess."

He seemed simply delighted by the news. "Amazing, just amazing," he said, apparently having already forgotten the accident that had nearly compromised the mission. But then again, the final outcome was all that mattered… and it was even better than he had dared to hope. "I want you in the control room as soon as you get back to the base, agent Beta – I want a detailed report of everything that happened," he said before tuning his only eye to Gamma, who was still holding up the disk with the data – more specifically, the launching codes of a few missiles a lot of people would have be _very_ interested into, and Gemini didn't mind having yet another politician or two on his payroll "agent Gamma, consider yourself off duty for tomorrow. Give the data to agent Beta – she'll deliver it to me personally," he said before interrupting the communication, leaving the screen blank.

* * *

After talking to him on her way back to the base, Shego had expected Gemini to be enthusiastic of the success. Really, she had.

What she did _not_ expect, however, was that he had a bottle of champagne with him to properly celebrate the blow they had delivered to Global Justice. And at least judging by the fact he had actually told her to join him on the elevated platform where his desk was to have a glass as well – yet another thing she _didn't_ expect, since she had been told that platform was off limits for agents – he had clearly drank some by himself already. Alright, maybe the fact the bottle was only half-filled was another hint, but that was beside the point.

The point was that Gemini was clearly tipsy and had been rambling about how he couldn't wait to see his sister's face and how he had showed her who the older brother was for at least… well, probably it had been just a few minutes, but it felt like hours. For a moment she wondered if Gemini happened to have _another_ twin, an identical a one with a polar opposite personality – what the heck, even his psychotic chihuahua seemed to be weirded out by his behaviour…!

"Ah, but I can't wait to see her face at the next family dinner!" he was going on, probably completely oblivious of her presence at that point "she'll be _fuming_!"

"Uh-hu," Shego nodded, faintly wondering just how many drinks already – fine, laughing in triumph over the victory was one thing, but he seemed almost _giddy_ now, which on him was kind of creepy. It was the kind of giddiness that could fit Drakken, she thought, but definitely not Gemini. Then again he certainly wasn't the kind of guy you'd expect to fuss over a dog either, she thought somewhat amusedly.

"And you can bet I'll be rubbing it in the whole time!" Gemini was still rambling "I want to see her chocking on her rage, that's what I want! This has to be the first time I'm looking forward to meet her. She'll never hear the end of it! I'll-- what?" he abruptly stopped rambling as he noticed Shego was staring at him, looking rather amused.

Shego shook her head. "Nothing, boss," she said just a little tauntingly, but he didn't seem to realize it. She raised the glass of champagne she hadn't even touched. "so, uh… to the demise of Glob… of GJ, or something like that?" she suggested, hoping that after a toast he would just let her go to get some _rest_.

Gemini immediately grinned again. "To the demise of GJ!" he repeated, raising his own glass and taking a sip. No, Shego thought, not just a sip: he emptied the glass, and when he put it down he was snickering even harder than before.

"You know, boss, I'm _so_ _not_ going to drag you back in your room if you pass out here," Shego pointed out. She fully expected Gemini to glare at her and order her to show more respect to him, but he simply shrugged.

"It takes more than _that_ to knock me out," he pointed out before reaching for his control panel and pressing a button. "Agent Gamma?"

"Yes, sir?" Gamma's voice came from the other side.

"You're the new agent Beta," Gemini said, causing Shego to freeze – wait, what? Her first mission had been a complete success! Why should be fire her? Just for a _joke_ about him not being able to stand champagne? She tensed at the thought – if he was really firing her, she had to at least expect a trapdoor to be involved.

Agent Gamma seemed to share her perplexities. "Excuse me, sir?"

"You heard me, agent Beta," Gemini turned to look at Shego, and she saw he was smirking at her tense expression "I've found my agent Alpha."


	4. Mind games

_A/N: here's another chapter - sorry for the delay, but there were a few bits I wanted to fix before I posted it. For some reason Drakken ended up claiming way more attention than he was supposed to be getting, but I'm not complaining too much since it's funny as heck to write of. Just as long as he doesn't try to take over the fic, that's it._

_

* * *

  
_

Dr. Drakken – as everyone still called him even in there, even though Dr. Director would refer to him just as 'Mr. Lipsky'… which irked him, of course, but arguing with what happened to be his boss about that didn't seem such a great idea – didn't exactly like agent Will Du.

Actually, he didn't like him _at all_: that insufferable know-it-all was annoying, constantly mocking him for this or that and questioning everything he said; it looked like he was doing his best to make him uncomfortable. The fact he by far outranked him even though he could as well be his son or something didn't help either, but since he was used to be defeated by a couple of teens and a naked mole rat Drakken barely minded that detail… not that it made the whole thing any more bearable.

If he could choose between that insufferable _kid_ and a grizzly bear to keep an eye on him during the trial time period, Drakken would have gladly chosen a vicious, rabid bear. Well, maybe not _that_ vicious or rabid, but whatever – the point was that he deeply, wholeheartedly despised agent Will Du. That meant that, under different circumstances, he would have thoroughly enjoyed witnessing him so nervous that he kept swallowing all the time and glancing warily at Dr. Director, having finally lost his collected, arrogant attitude. Well, to some extent he _did_ enjoy that, but the detail he was kind of scared as well prevented him from really savouring the moment.

To Drakken's credit, however, he wasn't the only one to be scared: pretty much everybody there seemed terribly nervous as they kept scanning the incoming reports, barely daring to speak unless it was strictly necessary – none of them wanted Dr. Director to focus their attention on them.

Since he spent most of the time in the labs, Drakken hadn't had many occasions to meet her, but he knew the GJ agents' opinion on their boss was very high: all of them agreed on the fact she was an excellent leader and some of them testified that she was extremely competent whenever she had to deal with some mission personally. Anyway, they all also agreed on another thing: she could be scary… and now Drakken knew exactly what they meant, because in that moment she _was_ scary.

On some level, he couldn't help but envy her a little. He had spent years making practice with evil poses, evil laughs, deadly threats and so on… and he couldn't frighten anyone, ever. Well, not as much as he wanted anyway. Dr. Director didn't even need to yell or anything to make her awful mood clear to everyone: just one _glare_ from her was enough to make anyone who met her gaze shrink and wish the floor could just swallow them, and right now getting _that_ glare from her was awfully easy.

The reason of her displeasure was pretty clear – after all, it was hard to miss the image of a half-destroyed military facility on the main screen and the awful amount of paperwork on her desk… and judging by the fact she was looking at said paperwork as if she fervently hoped it would catch fire, Drakken honestly couldn't tell which of the two things annoyed her the most. He was snapped from his thoughts as Will Du cleared his throat, finally gathering enough courage to speak. "Here he is, Dr. Director," he said before turning to look at Drakken with an infuriatingly condescending expression – it was clear he couldn't tell why should she would want to see him.

Drakken gritted his teeth. "Do you _have_ to be that annoying?" he snapped.

"Mr. Lipsky, if you have issues with agent Du this is _not_ the right moment to discuss them," Dr. Director promptly rebuked him, and he immediately shut his mouth, his hands wriggling a little nervously. Will Du couldn't hold back a snicker.

"What is it you find so funny, agent Du?" Dr. Director asked, causing his grin to immediately vanish "please, do share – hell knows how much I'd like to laugh as well," she glared at the paperwork waiting to be done on her desk in distaste before fixing her only eye on Will again "and if you're not going to share, then you might want to just _keep quiet_."

Now it was Drakken's turn to snicker, and he nearly gave in to the temptation, but he managed to hold back: last thing he needed was having Dr. Director reprimanding him as well. He shifted a little uncomfortably as she turned her gaze on him, her expression dead serious. "So, uh… what is it… about?" he asked a little uncertainly.

Dr. Director took a report – it took her a few moments to find it under all the others – and handled it to him. "Does any of this seem familiar to you, Mr. Lipsky?" she asked.

Drakken began reading the report.

"A little further," Dr. Director added – there was no need for him to read the _whole_ thing after all.

"Oh. Okay," Drakken skimmed a bit over the report until he came across the description of someone who seemed familiar. Very, very familiar. He blinked, shook his head and read again, but there was no mistaking. Who else was there who wore a green and black suit and could shoot green plasma from her hands? "Shego!" he exclaimed "so she _did_ find another… er…" he paused as he realized he was sounding a little too glad "I mean… Shego did this? It was _her_?" he asked, turning to glance at the screen which showed the half-destroyed facility.

"Apparently," was Dr. Director's reply as she observed him closely. Surprise was one of the hardest things to fake really well, and he didn't look like he was acting – his surprise seemed genuine "she was there with some WEE agents. We found one of them, most likely the one who accidentally set off the alarm, but my brother apparently used his usual memory erasers on him before disposing of him. We couldn't get any information out of him."

"WEE?" Drakken frowned in thought, then he snapped his fingers "oh, right – Gemini's organization!" he exclaimed before glancing at her "… is he _really_ your brother?" he asked.

Dr. Director couldn't help but grimace. "Unfortunately, yes. He is."

"Twins?"

"Yes, though he apparently can't get it through his skull."

"Great, this means I won that bet!" Drakken exclaimed "Dementor kept saying it was just a rumour, but I _knew_ it was true! Now he owes me… er… what?" he asked as he noticed the suspicious look Will Du was giving him.

"You seem rather well informed on WEE," he pointed out, his eyes narrowing.

Drakken frowned. "I'm _not_! I just know some stuff I heard from my cousin, who heard it from Adrena Lynn, who heard it from DNAmy, who--"

"And this… Shego _did_ use to be your sidekick, didn't she?" Will Du cut him off "for at least five years, isn't that correct?"

"Well, _yes_, but--" Drakken began to blabber as he realized just how _suspicious_ that had to seem – his former sidekick had apparently joined the antagonist organization of the one he was currently working into and had just been involved into a direct attack to a facility GJ had to protect, knowing exactly what to do and where to look to get what she wanted and get away quickly. Thinking he could have worked as a mole or something to help her from inside was all too easy.

"Wait, I have nothing to do with this!" he protested, turning to look at Dr. Director – who, on the other hand, was still observing both him and Will, her expression unreadable. "I knew she wanted to get back to the… well… usual stuff, but I haven't heard from her since when we split!" that was a lie, but he couldn't tell the truth on how he had phoned her to complain about how difficult fitting in GJ was "I had no idea of what she was up to until now!"

Will Du snorted. "And you _really_ expect us to believe…!"

"Agent Du, last time I checked it was _my_ competence deciding to whom we should or should not give credit," Dr. Director said a little coldly, and Will immediately shut up – he knew better than arguing with her when she clearly wasn't in a good mood "so, unless you have some solid evidence of what you're suggesting…"

"I don't," Will admitted "but it still is suspicious."

"It would be if Mr. Lipsky had any kind of access to the information regarding that particular facility or the data that was in it," she said quietly "does he, agent Du?"

"No, he doesn't."

She nodded. "Very well. That could only mean two things: he's either telling the truth when he says he's not involved, or he actually _did_ gain access to that info one way or another… and in that case, it would give vent to some… doubts over your competence since it was your duty to make sure he would behave. Do you think there was any occasion in which you were careless enough to give him the possibility to access to info he's not supposed to even know about?"

Agent Will Du immediately shook his head. "No, Dr. Director."

"That's exactly as I thought. You're dismissed," she said with a brief nod before turning to Drakken again "as for you, Lipsky… would you mind giving me that report back?"

"Eh? Oh, right," Drakken gave her back the sheet he had crumpled in his hand during his discussion with Will Du without even noticing, smiling a little sheepishly as she raised an eyebrow at the crumpled report. "Er… sorry about that. Maybe if you put it under some heavy book…"

She just put it back on her desk. "Nevermind – I was kindly sent at least a hundred copies of that, and I'll probably be provided with a thousand more before lunch," she said with a slight grimace before she went on "in any case, there is a reason why I wanted you here. As agent Du pointed out, you have known Shego Go for years, and according to what I heard from Kim Possible your relationship turned out to be on a more personal level than a merely professional--"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Drakken blurted out, then he blinked at the odd look Dr. Director was giving him "I mean… well, she isn't!" he said almost defensively.

"I never said _that_," Dr. Director said, her lips curving in a slightly amused smile for the first time that day "I was merely saying you know her better than anyone else here – which means you know her weaknesses as well," she added "and we're going to need your knowledge to fight my brother's new agent, apparently. She's far more competent than any other agent he ever had, and this makes her extremely dangerous. She's like a weapon, and any weapon in Gemini's hands is bad news."

Drakken seemed a little taken aback. "You mean… against Shego? I should come up with something to use against her?" he asked. Why were they asking a such thing to _him_? Couldn't they ask for Kim Possible's help or something? Fine, he had heard that Kim Possible and the buffoon had just started college and weren't going on major missions until at least the end of the first semester, but--

"Precisely. Does that surprise you? After all, she works for an organization whose… interests are opposite to GJ's – which means she's working against _you_ as well. You're simply required to do what you've been recruited for; nothing more, nothing less."

"Well…" he hesitated. He knew that what she was saying made sense and that Shego would think the same way, but it still seemed so odd…! "It's just…odd?" he said lamely, not really knowing what else he could say "working against her, I mean. I'm not sure I like the idea."

He expected Dr. Director to say something about how it was his duty, but she simply nodded. "I understand," she said "tell me, you _do_ recall who the leader of WEE happens to be, don't you?"

"Your brother," Drakken replied, not quite knowing where she was getting at.

"And do you think I _like_ the idea that my own brother is also my greatest enemy, a dangerous criminal whose schemes I have to stop?"

… alright, maybe now he was starting to see her point. "I guess not," he said.

"Exactly – I don't. But I do so because it's my duty," she said, choosing to not dwell into the countless reasons that had brought her and her brother on opposite sides "and because it's the right thing to do. You're going to have to do the same, or else you'll have to leave. It's your choice; I cannot make you," she said, leaning against her seat "I don't _want_ to," she corrected herself after a small pause – it was clear she _could_ make him do as they wanted if the situation called for it…still, she didn't seem inclined to do so.

Drakken didn't speak for a few minutes, a frown on his face. He knew she was right: right now, Shego was one of his enemies. They would have to play against each other… and he knew Shego wouldn't have qualms doing so, because it would be just business – what the heck, she had been the one to join WEE even knowing he worked for GJ now! He probably should just think of it as _work_ too, he decided… no matter how strange it seemed: it was nothing personal after all, just work.

Besides, he could always tell Shego she better be careful next time should she really drop by to visit him as she had promised she would. Maybe she would even like the challenge, he told himself before looking up to Dr. Director again. "Well?" she just said.

"I think I have an idea or two," he said, his mind already racing to think of some kind of weapon that could be really effective against Shego… a non-lethal one, possibly, but still something that could stand her attacks and strike back. Without really _hurting _her, maybe… "But it could take me a while to get it done."

"Take the time you need," Dr. Director replied with a bried nod before she turned her attention back to the paperwork "should you need anything, don't hesitate to let me or agent Du know."

"Oh, great! Because I'd love some cocoa moo," he said, licking his lips at the thought – it felt like forever since last time he got to drink some! How come there were only coffee machines in that place?

Dr. Director glanced at him, ready to snap at the uncalled joke, and she seemed a little baffled to realize that, at least judging by the hopeful look on his face, he was _not _kidding. She blinked a couple of times, then she shook her head with a sigh and turned her attention to the paperwork again, rather amused despite her own will. "Not _that_ kind of needs, Lipsky."

A rather comical mixture of embarrassment and disappointment appeared on Drakken's face. "Oh."

* * *

Shego had to admit that it could be worse.

Sure, working for WEE could be frustrating – more specifically, dealing with Gemini could be frustrating. Alright, fine, that was an euphemisms: even though she got a far better treatment than any other agent did and he actually _listened_ to her opinions from time to time – the privileges of being his top agent, she guessed – dealing with him, his stubbornness, his temper tantrums, his ramblings and his childish behaviour _was_ frustrating as hell.

It was way worse than dealing with Drakken, because unlike him Gemini never failed to point out who the boss was and definitely didn't take it lightly when someone was disrespectful to him – she had seen so many agents being disposed of for whatever reason that she had lost count – or his dog, of course. That neurotic rat of his made it even worse: Shego had lost count of all the times she had felt like blasting that yelping little bugger and burning off his owner's face for getting so ridiculously sappy when it came to his beloved pet.

Still, it could be worse. She once again got to do her job, and she enjoyed every minute of it: after the first successful mission, Gemini hadn't minded given her chart blanc during missions – as long as she didn't disobey to direct orders, of course – and so far all he had never regretted his decision, for all missions had been accomplished. Shego had to admit that getting to _win_ wasn't that bad at all, though she sometimes she missed the challenge Kim Possible was. She hadn't faced Kim so far – now that she had started college with her boyfriend she apparently had less spare time to run after villains around the globe – and sometimes she found herself missing their fights, but in any case there was no chance for her to get bored.

As long as she got to have some evil kind of fun and as long as Gemini paid her well, she could bite her tongue and deal with all the annoyance that came from her position as his agent Alpha. At least for a little while longer, she had thought at first, but that 'little longer' had become weeks and then a couple of months, and she was definitely growing used to it.

It wasn't so bad after all… aside from when Gemini decided to start rambling about his sister, of course: in those occasions, she would have to endure hours of senseless and childish babbling, just as she was doing now. Couldn't that idiot speak to his dog and leave her alone anyway?

"…and then she keeps complaining about that doll of hers I broke! She had it coming for breaking my action figures! I told her she couldn't play with them, but would she listen? No!" Gemini had been rambling like that for the past twenty minutes, and he didn't seem about to stop anytime soon. "And she should have listened, as any little sister should listen to her big brother! Because really, it makes no difference if it were four minutes or four years, I was born _first_! She's my little sister, and I'm the older brother, no matter what she says! I am older, and she never respected that!" he grimaced at the thought "but she will _learn_…!"

"Uh-hu, sure," Shego said, resisting the urge to actually roll her eyes. It wasn't quite as boring as listening to Drakken's tirades about how bad bullies were to him back in school, how he would get back his old friends for mocking him in college and so forth, but it was still not fun… not to mention oddly unsettling. Fine, a lot of the villains she knew could get terribly childish – Drakken or Junior were the most blatant examples – but Gemini was an overall competent villain that one wouldn't expect to be that childish. How could _anyone_ really be that obsessed with making his sister pay for some childhood rivalry after… well… just how many years? She had no idea, she thought.

"Hey, boss, can I ask something?"

Gemini – who was still rambling about some past accident involving a hot dog, ketchup and his favourite t-shirt that had occurred during their childhood and that clearly still upset him beyond reason – trailed off and blinked as she spoke. He wasn't used at being interrupted during one of his tirades: all agents would always nod in silence, too scared of his reaction should they interrupt him. The only ones who could interrupt him while he was rambling without any danger were probably his mother and Pepe. "What?"

"How old are you?"

Well, that was about the last question he expected her to ask. He gave her a quizzical look. "Why do you ask?" he demanded to know.

Shego held up her hands. "Just wondering. Sometimes people ask questions just _because_."

Gemini's only eye narrowed dangerously. "I don't like your tone, agent Alpha."

Oh, great – she had once again assumed she was talking to Dr. D or something. How come she would always forget that choosing the wrong voice or tone could be dangerous around him? Shego bit her lower lip and counted to ten. "Sorry, _sir_. I was just curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat," he muttered menacingly, petting his chihuahua…who had begun snarling upon hearing the word 'cat'. What a neurotic mass of nerves, Shego thought in disgust before turning her attention back to its owner. She felt a strong urge to light up her hands to burn off his face, but she managed to restrain herself – the thought of the pay check she was going to get by the end of that month kind of helped. She was about to ask if she was dismissed or what, but he spoke again before she could.

"Forty."

"Uh?" Shego blinked – after his less than subtle threat, she certainly hadn't expected him to actually reply.

Gemini leant back on his seat. "I'm forty. Forty years, three months, twenty-two days and…" he glanced at the clock "…and eight hours old, give or take a few minutes. _Four_ minutes, to be exact," he added somewhat fiercely, his mechanical hand clenching in a tight fist.

_Fine, this is it. Just in case you hadn't noticed before, you're working for a total nutcase._

"Ah," was all Shego said, raising an eyebrow and actually biting her tongue to not give in to the temptation of telling him that she thought a nice straightjacket wouldn't look so bad on him. His obsession seemed to be far worse than she had thought, and it was almost _scary_.

"And now that your curiosity has been satisfied, I have a question as well. It shouldn't be a problem, since you're apparently up to discuss personal matters."

Shego blinked – that didn't sound good, it didn't sound good at all.

_Nothing this guy says can sound even _vaguely_ good. Unless he's talking to his dog._

"No problem," she just said, fighting back he urge of telling me he could find all the stuff he needed to entertain himself with in the gossip section of any villain magazine.

"Why did you turn against your own brothers?" he asked, resting his chin on his fist to observe her more comfortably and sounding genuinely curious. He couldn't think of any other villain he knew of that actually went against their own siblings just like he did, and the fact she did fascinated him for some reason.

Shego held back the urge to groan – then again, she was dealing with a guy who had created an evil empire just out of spite for his twin sister: she should have expected him to ask something like that sooner or later. "I didn't turn against _them_," she said "I chose a different side, they just stayed on the same one. I turned to evil because I _liked_ it, and they had nothing to do with it."

Gemini raised an eyebrow. "Nothing?" he asked.

"No, nothing."

"So it wasn't because you were tired of always being associated with them or always having them around and wanted to do something by _yourself_, to show them what you could better then them…?"

"_No_," Shego snapped. Couldn't he mind his own business anyway?

It was clear he didn't like her answer. "Agent Alpha, I don't appreciate being snapped at," Gemini said, his voice barely more than a threatening drawl "do I have to remind you what your position is?" his mechanical hand lingered over a button on his control panel.

This time Shego found it incredibly hard to keep from blasting him, but she somehow managed – well, thinking about her next pay check kind of helped. That, and the fact he actually was darn close to pressing that button. "Sorry, _sir_," she said the last word almost tauntingly, but he didn't seem to notice "maybe the fact they are so darn annoying had something to do with my decision to split, but that's all. I grew tired of them, but I _didn't_ decide to turn to evil only out of spite for them," she added, and whether Gemini got the hint or not she couldn't tell, for he just shrugged and retreated his hand from the control panel. Shego breathed a little more easily, though refusing to admit she was actually _relieved_.

"Fascinating," he said, leaning back against his seat "although it still leaves an unanswered question."

"What question?"

Gemini petted his dog and cooed something to him before replying. "What was it that made you decide to turn to evil?" he asked "from what I could see, most of our…how should I call them… colleagues?"

Shego shrugged. "Still better than 'bunch of guys who want to take over the world and utterly fail at it'," she said, causing Gemini to snicker a little.

"Colleagues it is, then. As I was saying, most of them turned to evil for the same reasons," he leant forward "for money, power or recognition. Or boredom in the Seniors' case, but they're the exception that confirms the rule. You already had it all as a heroine – why did you give up on it all to become not a supervillain yourself, but just Dr. Drakken's right arm?"

She shrugged. "Hey, I told you, I like evil. I just _like_ it – and it also pays well when you can do your job. And I prefer being the right arm because being one of you 'let's take over the world' people is too much of an headache if you ask to me. I like my role better," she waved her hand "because really, once you take over the world you have to _rule_ it, and it seems too much of a pain in the neck to be worth it. I just get the excitement of doing the fun part, and none of that crap."

Gemini seemed rather amused by her reply. "Good point," he admitted "having to rule the world after you take it over probably wouldn't be as satisfying as actually conquering it – this is one of the reasons why I hesitate to define most people in the villain community as colleagues. You've been here for a while now – do you think I'm aiming for world domination?"

Shego shook her head. "No," she said, and it was true. Most of their missions consisted in spreading chaos, when they were not busy with some more illegal stuff that Shego was pretty sure someone else paid them to do – it was most likely where most of their income came from: you need money to spread chaos around the globe after all. "And I guess it's not for money either, because you surely have plenty of it saved up already and wouldn't be spending a lot of it for… uh… the spreading chaos thing if that was what you wanted."

Gemini chuckled. "All you had to do is replying yes or no. When did this conversation turn into a disquisition on what _my_ motivation is?" he asked, scratching Pepe's head, but he seemed more amused than bothered.

"It didn't – I was just thinking aloud," Shego said with a shrug.

"Keep thinking then, I'm curious to hear what you think," he said, and he was telling the truth – he really was curious to know what conclusions she had drawn. He usually didn't really care of anything his agents could think as long as they just feared him and obeyed, but she was very different from any agent he had ever had. He had to admit that sometimes she puzzled him.

Shego raised an eyebrow. "You don't seem someone who cares about knowing what his agents think," she said a little snidely.

Gemini's only eye immediately narrowed. "Don't try my patience, agent Alpha – if I ask you something, you are supposed to give me an _answer_, not to question me."

"Fine, fine," she help up her hands, fighting the urge to roll her eyes "I think it's mostly because of power, because looks like you kinda enjoy it."

He smirked. "Who doesn't?" he asked to no one in particular before he leant back against his seat "yes, I suppose you could say that is one of the reasons why I'm here."

"And the other ones are…?"

"Remind me once again when _you_ became the one to ask questions…"

Shego gave a frustrated groan, much to Gemini's amusement – frustrating her like that was so much fun that he couldn't even bring himself to be bothered by the fact she wasn't being exactly as respectful as he expected all his agents to be. "Am I getting on your nerves?" he asked smoothly. He was certain that upon hearing a such question all his agents would have frantically denied, but he was certain she would give him a completely different answer, and the thought amused him. He hated being questioned by anyone and loved it when his agents trembled in fear in front of him, but after a while it could get boring being surrounded by people who could only agree with anything he said. He was pretty sure they would have said he was right should he ever claim the sky was green – not that he didn't appreciate, but a little variety wouldn't hurt.

It was clear his new agent Alpha was different case: it was obvious that she didn't really fear him – maybe respected him, but she certainly wasn't afraid – and that she had had to hold back from blasting him with her plasma more than once. For some reason, Gemini found it almost funny trying to see just how far could he push her without her losing temper

As for her answer, he wasn't disappointed. "Is there any way to say 'yes' without falling through a trapdoor?" she asked a little sarcastically.

"Normally, no," he admitted with a snicker "but since you're my most valuable agent, I can make an exception," he paused and glanced at his mechanical hand, lost in thought for a few moments "recognition," he finally said "I suppose that is my main motivation. I have to prove to a certain someone that I always was and will always be the best one."

"Your sister?" Shego guessed. That guy was just obsessed with that stupid 'older brother' thing, she mused.

"I would almost be impressed if that wasn't such an easy guess," Gemini said with a grin "as you might have noticed, my little sister doesn't quite know what her place is. I want to _remind_ her."

"So you created your worldwide evil organization _just_ to spite her?" Shego asked in disbelief. Fine, she had pretty much guessed his resentment towards his sister had a big role in it, but that really being his motivation was simply laughable.

"Yes and no," was the reply. Fine, his determination to prove himself better than his sister was what had given him the right nudge, but he didn't think of it as the _only_ reason why he had created his evil empire. He could have tried to beat her on her own ground after all – there were other ways to show her who the older brother was, just as agent Alpha could have set herself apart from her brothers without necessarily having to turn to evil. No, that hadn't been his only motivation; the truth was probably that evil, and the power that came from it, just fascinated him – he simply _liked_ it, much like agent Alpha claimed she did, although he couldn't exactly tell why.

Shego rubbed her temples, already feeling a headache building in her skull. Yes and no? Just what kind of reply was _that_ supposed to be? "What is this, some kind of riddle?"

"What is this, some kind of debriefing?" he said smugly, a clear trace of amusement in his voice.

She blinked and glanced up to see he was smirking. She frowned. "I take it you're having fun," she muttered, folding her arms.

Gemini seemed too amused to actually mind her less than respectful posture. "Quite a lot, yes. I was wondering when you would realize it," he said with a shrug "do tell, how hard was it to hold back from sending me crashing against a wall?"

Well, he surely was observant, or maybe she wasn't as much of a good actress as she had thought. Maybe she had been clenching her fists a little too tightly for him to not notice. "Is that some kind of trap or what?" Shego asked, a little puzzled. She was pretty sure that any agent who gave him any reason to think they could be a danger would be disposed of immediately.

He chuckled. "It's funny how you didn't deny as quickly as you could," he said, stroking Pepe's head soothingly "I guess that's what I would have expected from any agent but you. I take it you felt like hitting me at least, say… a dozen times?" he guessed.

"You mean since when this conversation started or just in the past two minutes?" Shego asked sharply. Fine, that was enough – she was getting tired of his game. He had asked for it, and if he just _tried_ to do anything against her now…

"I take it the latter option is closer to the truth then," Gemini said, clearly amused now – and he still didn't seem up to press a button to send her down a trapdoor or to suggest her to 'have a seat', Shego was surprised to notice, but she didn't lower her guard anyway. "Why so tense? There is no risk for you to be disposed of right now. Do you want to know why?" he grinned, still wanting to play with her for a few more moments.

Oh, _please_, Shego thought, not another guessing game. "Because I'm the only competent agent you've got?" she suggested sarcastically.

"Well, I guess the fact you _are_ my top agent does have something to do with the fact you're granted more, how should I say? Freedom of speech than any other of my agents," Gemini admitted "but believe me, this doesn't mean I wouldn't dispose of you should you ever mess up, become a threat or give me any reason to."

"Pretty much admitting I would like to burn your grin off your face isn't a good reason?" she heard himself asking, completely forgetting all cautions – that guy was being just _infuriating_ now. Didn't he think she could _really_ carry on with her threat?

Gemini shrugged. "There is quite a difference between wanting to do something and actually doing it. As far as I'm concerned, you can murder me all times you want in your mind. I don't _care_ if you despise me. Do you think I would be as hard as I am to my subordinates if I concerned myself with their opinion of me?"

Shego shook her head. "No," she admitted, starting to see where he was getting… and she wasn't sure she liked it. Fine, it was perfectly logical – that was a criminal organization, not some big happy family thing – but it was so different from how her professional relationship with Drakken had been that it seemed almost odd: Drakken would _care_ of what she thought of him, while Gemini didn't give a darn as long as she did her job. Years of working with someone like Dr. D, who over the years had become more like some kind of _friend_ than a boss, had made her nearly forget how cold and impersonal the whole business could be. Not that it really bothered her, of course, but it still felt… odd.

Gemini was nodding, apparently satisfied with her reply. "Exactly. I'm perfectly aware of the fact that should I have, say, a heart attack here and now, my agents would be more likely to just let me die than to call for help. You included, probably," he stated, and something in the coldness of his voice made Shego frown as she faintly wondered what would _she_ do should something like that happen. "But," Gemini went on, turning to gaze at his trembling chihuahua, his thumb stroking its muzzle surprisingly gently "it's obedience I expect from you, certainly not affection: I live such stuff to the do-gooders. So keep wishing you could burn my face off as much as you want, agent Alpha," he said, glancing at her again "as long as you keep working efficiently, it's none of my concern. You're dismissed," he finally added, turning his seat so he would give her his back.

Shego stared at the back of his seat for a few more moments, feeling a little dumb but unable to leave just yet – just… what _was_ the point of the whole conversation? Why had he wanted to have that conversation with her in the first place? Was it some kind of stupid mind game or..._ what_?

"I said you're _dismissed_, agent Alpha," Gemini's voice reached her ears again, this time nothing more than an evil drawl "I don't like having to repeat my orders."

Shego scowled and was about to snap at him, but she managed to hold back. She clenched her jaw and turned to march out of the room, faintly wondering how great beating the crap out of him would feel like. If he wasn't very, _very_ careful, she could just end up trying to find out.


	5. Weak point

"What…?" Shego blinked as a loud explosion and some shouts came to her ears, making her turn her attention from the magazine she was reading. She glanced at the monitor she was supposed to be looking at already – nothing. Whatever was happening had to be in an area of the base without cameras… so it was either the dormitories or Gemini's control room, where the cameras were usually shut off.

She pressed a few buttons to activate the camera in front of the main room, and her suspicions were confirmed as she saw some agents trembling in front of the door. Well, not that she really needed to see that, for she heard shouting again and this time Gemini's voice was unmistakable. What in the world was happening?

"I can't get a break here," she muttered to herself, quickly getting out of the room and walking to the control room, and she almost ran into a rather terrified agent who was running in the opposite direction. "Omega," she said after glancing at his uniform – she had to admit that it was easier than bothering to remember anyone's name "what's happening?"

"G… Gemini's dog is sick," he stuttered, still trembling "it began whining, but it always does and no one really minded, then it seemed just tired, but now it's gotten worse…think I the boss has gone insane or something, he keeps firing randomly because we don't know what to do, and… and… the others sent me to find you, because maybe you could convince him to be reasonable…"

Shego groaned. When had those guys begun to think of her as Gemini's baby sitter? "Oh, great – yet more trouble that wasn't in the job description," she muttered sarcastically, walking past the terrified agent and to the control room. It was just as Omega had said, only much worse: Gemini was standing on the platform, firing missiles from his mechanical hand to his agents – who desperately scrambled for cover below him without actually daring to leave the room without being ordered to do so – while shouting something about how they had no use for him if they couldn't do anything for his dog.

He had gone stark raving mad, she thought with a frown, and her frown deepened as she glanced to the small dog lying on Gemini's desk. That yelping little bugger didn't seem to be doing well at all: it was almost still, not even trembling as usual, and even from down there she could see its breathing was troubled. What the hell could be wrong with that excuse of a dog…?

She was suddenly snapped from her musings by another loud explosion, and she realized that unless someone stopped him Gemini would have kept firing missiles until that place was destroyed… and none of it would help his dog. Shego groaned at his lack of logic before taking a step forward. "Hey, boss, now take a deep breath and try to chill, okay? None of us here is a vet, so--" she trailed off as one of the missiles she had fired against Omicron narrowly missed her head, causing all the agents in the room – Omicron included – to scramble for cover.

She growled. She had woken up with an epic headache and she was in a foul mood already, and last thing she needed was having her idiot boss nearly blowing up her head. "Alright, that's it!" she snarled, shooting some plasma that hit Gemini square in his chest, causing him to cry out and to stumble backwards. A couple more missiles were fired at the ceiling as he fell, and a large piece of metal nearly fell on Delta's head, causing him to shriek. However, none of his companions was paying him any attention.

"She _hit_ him," Sigma muttered, pressing himself against the wall as if hoping he could get invisible or something close – after all, the colour of the wall was very similar to his uniform's.

"She's dead," Iota stated.

"Unless she kills him first," Gamma pointed out, glancing up as Shego climbed upon the platform on which their boss was struggling to his feet again and walked up to him. All agents fell silent.

"…shouldn't we do something…?" Lambda asked a little shakily.

All his companions glanced at him as if he had just suggest to throw themselves from a mountain peak. "Are you kidding? I wouldn't want to be caught in the middle of a fight between those two any more than I would like to be caught in the middle of a nuclear war," Beta said, and everyone else seemed to share his opinion.

Gemini groaned as he finally managed to get back on his feet. Shego had held back with her plasma – she could have killed him if she wanted to – but the blow had still be enough to knock all air from his lungs. He growled – he would not tolerate something like that! She was going to pay, and she was going to pay dearly!

"_You…_" he snarled as he turned to face her, his features twisted in a furious scowl, ready to use his hand to fire at her, but she was quicker. Another blast of plasma hit is right shoulder, causing him to jerk, and the missiles he had been about to fire missed the target and hit the wall behind her instead. He cursed under his breath as he clutched his shoulder with his actual hand and he tried to fire again, but before he could Shego had grabbed his neck and had pinned him to the wall, and he froze as he felt the clawed glove nearly digging in the skin of his neck.

"Now see here," she hissed, her face just inches from his "randomly shooting at your own agents won't help your dog any more than giving it a blow on the head. It's _dying_, you're only wasting your time without getting any kind of help – you're just throwing a tempter tantrum like a kid whose toy got broken and letting it die. Some master you are!"

Gemini blinked, his furious expression turning into an oddly confused one for a few moments before he dropped his shoulders and turned to glance at Pepe – who, on the other hand, had stopped whining and was just resting on the desk, his breathing fast and irregular. Gemini swallowed, and when he looked back at her Shego was surprised to see he suddenly seemed oddly lost and almost _scared_.

"He needs _help_," he said, apparently unable to think anything more, and he was so different form his usual self that Shego hesitated, her grip on his neck slackening, then she just sighed.

"Sure he does, and we're getting him just that, alright? Without shooting. Now we'll take the jet and we'll rush to the closest vet we can find, okay?" she spoke very slowly, as if speaking to a rather dumb child "you take him, and I pilot. How does that sound?"

He stared at her for a few moments, his only eye widened as if he was trying to convince himself that the whole thing was some kind of nightmare from which he would wake up soon. However, it didn't last more than a few instants – Pepe chose that moment to whine again, causing Gemini to suddenly snap out of his odd numbness and rush to take him in his arms. "Agent Beta, get the jet ready to take off!" he barked, and Beta immediately scrambled to do as he had been instructed, pretty relieved to get a chance to get out of there.

Gemini cooed something at his pet and glanced at Shego almost hopefully as Pepe whined softly in response. "He's still reacting," he said, and it was clear he was desperately trying to think of it as a good sign. He seemed to have completely forgotten how she had blasted him first and then pinned him against the wall, and she would have never thought he was the kind of guy who let such things pass by. She guessed his worry for his dog kept him from actually thinking about it right now, but she probably should expect it to pop out later.

"Well, that's great, isn't it?" Shego said with that she hoped would be an encouraging tone – she usually wasn't encouraging to anyone, so she wasn't quite sure that was how it worked. "Now _move_, boss. The sooner we get him to the vet, the better it is," she told him, and she wasn't too surprised to see Gemini immediately complying. Maybe he was starting to be more reasonable, she thought.

* * *

"You _what_?" Gemini's roar seemed to make the walls shake and caused the vet to wince at take a step back.

"Sir, believe me, it's necessary…" he blabbered as Gemini took a menacing step forward. He squawked and turned to Shego, who rolled her eyes – well, so much for being reasonable, she thought.

"Boss, calm down! Scrawny here is trying to help, you know," she pointed out "it's his _job_, so he should know."

Gemini turned to glare at her. "Did you _hear_ him?" he protested "I'm not going to let him _slice_ my dog open! Ever!"

Fine, Shego had had enough. "Then just leave it to die – is _that_ what you want?" she said icily. Gemini flinched and turned to glance at Pepe, who was resting on the table, apathetically staring ahead without actually seeing anything, large glossy eyes completely empty. It was a truly pathetic sight, and Shego wasn't surprised as Gemini dropped his shoulders with a heavy sigh.

"Is there no other way…?" he mumbled, now glancing at the vet almost pleadingly. It was clear that the thought of having his dog get through surgery terrified him.

The vet shakily straightened himself, trying to speak reasonably. "Yes, it is. It's clear he must have eaten something that caused him the internal bleeding – I have to find the object and remove it."

Gemini hesitated, turning to look at his dog again, then he reached to stroke his head, and when he spoke again his voice was oddly weak. "And… will he be fine?"

"I'm…pretty certain he'll recover after I've done that, but I need to start the surgery as soon as possible."

There was just a moment of silence, then Gemini sighed heavily and nodded slightly, finally stepping back from the table his beloved pet was resting onto. "Alright," he said "do we have to… wait outside?" he asked, and the vet nodded, clearly eager to keep him as far from him as he could. Much to Shego's surprise, Gemini didn't protest and just turned to walk in the waiting room: she would have expected him to insist to stay… then again, she thought, maybe he wouldn't be able to stand watching after all. He could be such a pansy when it came to that dog, she thought, following him in the waiting room and sitting next to him rather awkwardly.

She expected him to either snap again or whine, but he did neither – he just stayed slumped on the seat, staring forward, his gaze unfocused and saying nothing for what felt hours…well, mostly because the wait did last at least a hour or two; the longest, most boring hours of her life. She was just about to risk his anger by getting up to get something to eat – she hadn't had lunch after all – as the door of the vet's study opened and the man gestured them to approach a little nervously.

Gemini seemed to immediately get back to reality, for he jumped on his feet. "How did it go? How's Pepe? Where is he?" he asked anxiously, and he seemed to worried to really sound threatening. Not that the poor man needed him to be threatening again to be terrified, of course.

"He's fine," he quickly reassured him "the surgery went well, and now he's sleeping. He should recover quickly – I'll keep him here for tonight just to be certain everything is fine, but there shouldn't be complications. He will need nothing but rest until the stitches are to be removed."

Gemini gave a sigh of relief, and for a moment Shego almost thought he would have to sit again. "What was wrong with him?" he asked.

"It was as I thought – he this in his stomach," the vet said, holding up a small, transparent plastic bag with a sharp, shiny object in it.

"A screw?" Gemini blinked, incredulous, starting at the sharp piece of metal that had been retrieved from his dog's stomach in horror "he had eaten a _screw_? But when… _how_…?" he shook his head and finally growled "if I ever find out _who_ the responsible is…!"

"Er… boss, I wouldn't worry about that," Shego said, trying to prevent another fit of rage "there's plenty of screws and stuff like that in the… in our workplace, and your dog could have found a loosened one and swallowed it in any place."

Gemini glanced at her, his frown suddenly turning into an almost guilty expression. "I should have _known_ it could be dangerous," he said to no one in particular "I should have kept him close all the time."

Shego barely held back the urge to roll her eyes. "Boss, it's okay – accidents happen, so no need of a guilt trip, aright?" she said "now why don't we just go find a place to stay tonight? Your dog is going to have to spend the night here anyway," she said reasonably.

That was the most sensible thing to do, and Gemini knew it, still it had been surprisingly difficult to drag him away from that place and into the closest hotel – he had insisted to see Pepe before they left, and even after that it had taken a while to drag him outside.

He seemed to think things would somehow be better for his dog if he stayed in the waiting room or something, Shego mused before turning to the man at the reception of the hotel. "Good evening," she began "we--"

"Oh, yes, yes," the man said without even turning to look at her, still typing something and looking at the screen of the computer before turning to glance at them "a room for you and your husband?"

"Yes, we--" Shego trailed off and gaped at him "whoa, whoa, wait – we're _not_ married, we're not even _friends_ or something! He's my boss and we want two _separate_ rooms," she said, shaking her head with a slightly disgusted and extremely uncomfortable expression on her face. What was wrong with that guy anyway? There was absolutely nothing that could make anyone think they were _together_ or something, she thought, feeling somewhat uneasy. "Very, _very_ far apart."

Gemini, on the other hand, didn't seem to have even heard anything of what the guy had said. His thoughts were clearly all for his dog, and judging by his vacant expression Shego was pretty sure he wouldn't have reacted if Dr. Director walked in right now to inform him that _she_ was his older sister or something. He looked so lost and vulnerable that she felt a sudden urge of grabbing him and shaking him until he snapped out of it – she had never seen him like that, and it was _creepy_.

"Oh…my apologies," the guy was saying a little awkwardly "but, uh…I'm afraid we only have one room left."

Oh, no. No _way_. "Then we're out of here," Shego muttered, turning to leave.

"Wait a moment – we still have a suite," he man said, typing something in the computer "and there are two separate rooms in it. How about that?"

A suite? Well, it could be worse. Shego glanced at Gemini, but since he kept giving to sign of having even heard them she decided she better take the matter in her hands. "Fine, we take it. Here," she said, handing over her credit card – Gemini better pay her back every cent once his brain woke up again, she thought with a slight grimace.

"Perfect. How long are you…?"

"Just tonight," Shego said sharply as she snatched the key from the poor guy's hands and walked up to Gemini. "Fifth floor, boss," she said, grabbing his arm and literally dragging him to the elevator, suddenly feeling like a baby sitter than she had ever felt with Drakken. Gemini nodded slightly and walked in, but he showed no other sign of acknowledging her presence, and Shego suddenly felt extremely annoyed at him as she opened the door of their suite – well, it was a nice suite, she had to admit… and most of all, it really did have two separate rooms.

All the better, she thought, glancing at Gemini again – his mere presence was enough to annoy her. He was a grown man, for goodness sake, and he was supposed to be _evil_. Not to mention that the vet had already told him his dog would be fine after the surgery – why the heck did he keep behaving as if he had just found out his mother was dying or something? "Snap out of it, boss," she said a little impatiently "didn't you hear the vet? Your dog is going to be _fine_."

Gemini winced a little as she spoke, snapping him from his thoughts, and when he glanced at her he looked so awfully unhappy that Shego almost regretted not leaving him alone to feel sorry for himself. "I didn't even bring his blanket," he nearly whined "Pepe can't sleep without it, and I left him in a place where he knows nobody all by himself and without his favourite blanket…"

Shego rolled her eyes – now that was downright pathetic. "Hey, that dog has been anaesthetized for the surgery, remember?" she pointed out "he'll sleep like a rock and he'll probably will still be sleepy when we'll pick him up tomorrow – he won't even be able to realize were the heck he is, let alone to realize he doesn't have his blanket. He'll be back home before he can even realize he left," Shego shrugged, snapping her fingers to emphasize the last sentence "nothing to worry about."

Gemini didn't seem entirely convinced, but he looked almost hopeful, which made her feel oddly uncomfortable – she just wasn't _used_ at seeing him like that. Had it been Drakken, she would have known exactly how to behave…but Gemini? Not so much: she didn't have nearly as much confidence with him, and for all she knew he could turn back from that pitiful mess to the ruthless boss she knew in a minute. Damn it, she almost hoped he would, because it would be easier to deal with him that way. He seemed to just turn into another person any time that yelping rat he called a dog was involved, and she didn't quite know how she should handle him in situations like that. She cleared her throat and let her gaze wander through the suite. "So, uh…which room do you want?" she asked.

"The closest one," Gemini just said somewhat tiredly, walking to the door on his right and opening it, and Shego couldn't help but notice he looked more tired than she had ever seen him "we're… getting Pepe back tomorrow, right?" he asked a little hesitantly, as if fearing a negative answer.

Shego suddenly felt like smashing his face against the wall – couldn't he just _stop_ behaving like a beaten dog? Couldn't he get back to his usual bossy and intimidating self and possibly threw in a few threats? Dammit, now she would be glad if he tried to blow up her head for hitting him with her plasma back in the base! "Hey, you're the boss, remember?" she pointed out "_you_ decide when we get your dog back."

The thought seemed to give him some confidence, for he finally nodded and his blank expression turned into something similar to a scowl. "Darn right I'm getting him back!" he said forcefully before walking in his room, shutting the door behind him.

Shego grinned a little. "It was about time," she muttered to no one in particular as she went in her own room.

* * *

Thinking about it, the next day Shego would decide that after all he _was_ easier to handle when he was behaving like a beaten dog. At least she knew there wouldn't be useless fits of rage. "Boss, now _calm down_!" she repeated for the eleventh time as she tried to keep him from destroying the whole place.

"But I want to keep him _with me_!" Gemini said stubbornly, sounding everything like a kid who wanted to bring his favourite toy to school. "He's _my _dog, and I want to _keep_ him!"

Shego had to hold back a frustrated growl. "Yes, I know – I got it the first twenty times, really," she snapped.

Gemini's only eye narrowed. "Agent Alpha…" he snarled threateningly, his flesh and blood hand still petting his dog while his mechanical one was threateningly pointed against Shego. Pepe yapped weakly and nuzzled against his owner's hand.

"Alright, fine, my bad," she said, trying to not roll her eyes "what I've been trying to say for the past _half an hour _is that the vet here," she pointed at the veterinary, who was still cowering behind his desk after Gemini had made his displeasure clear by randomly firing missiles in the study "is _right_. Your dog is going to need time to recover, and stressing out every time he hears an explosion or someone names GJ wouldn't help him. Didn't you ever notice what a twitching mass of nerves he is in the base? He should stay in a quiet place for a while. I thought you wanted the best for him," Shego added snidely, fully knowing that would hit a nerve.

Gemini winced, and for a moment he seemed almost enraged – how _dare_ she suggest he didn't want the best for his beloved pet? – but his rage seemed to vanish as Pepe whined a little to get his attention back. He lowered his mechanical hand and gazed at his dog again, his actual hand still stroking his head. "Of course I want the best for him," he muttered, and Shego bit her lower lip as she detected a hint of sadness in his voice – she just hoped he wouldn't turn into a pathetic idiot again. Still, that also meant she was convincing him to act like a reasonable human being for once.

"Then you should bring him to some place where he can stay in peace for a while," she said reasonably "it would be like giving him a vacation – people need those too, so why not dogs? I'm sure he'll feel a lot better after that, and you could bring him back home without risks for his health."

Gemini stared at Pepe for a few more moments, then he dropped his shoulders. "Daddy is going to call you every day, you know," he said to his pet, causing him to wave his tail a little – he seemed still rather sleepy because of the anaesthetic, and he wouldn't move much more than that. Gemini turned to Shego again, looking everything like a beaten dog once again. "I could leave him at my mother's home," he finally said. That was the perfect place after all – his mother had a lawn and she still had Pepe's mother and some of his siblings with her, so he wouldn't feel too lonely. Well, _he_ surely was going to feel lonely, but he _did_ want his dog to be alright, so…

"Uh… yeah, sounds nice," Shego said a little uneasily. Those sudden changes of attitude unsettled her so much that it wasn't even funny. How _could_ someone as ruthless as he was suddenly turn into a spineless weakling whenever his stupid dog was involved? Did he have a split of personality disorder or what? It made it incredibly difficult to deal with him: she just didn't know how to behave.

"I'll have to pick up his stuff before we go," he went on, giving no sign of having heard her, and Shego raised an eyebrow – did he just saw _we?_ "He will need his basket, and his toys, and his blanket, and--"

"Alright, fine, I get it," Shego cut him off before the whole thing got too pathetic "we'll head to the base, pick up all that junk and then we'll get back here to pick him and bring him to your mother. I'm sure the vet wouldn't mind keeping him here while we're away – would you?" she asked with a rather dangerous smirk as she glanced at the poor man – whose head had just popped out from behind the desk.

"Of course, of course – whatever you ask," he whimpered, warily looking at Gemini – who, on the other hand, was too busy fussing over his dog to notice "just don't _hurt_ me…!"

"Don't worry, if you take a good care of the dog while we're away nothing will happen," Shego said, rather amused by his obvious fear "and he could even decide to pay you back for the damage."

"I… it doesn't matter. Really, it doesn't – just keep that… that madman away from me," the poor guy almost pleaded, shakily getting back on his feet.

Shego raised an eyebrow. "Great, looks like everyone thinks I'm his baby sitter now," she muttered in disgust before turning to Gemini "hey, boss, we probably better go. The sooner we pick his stuff, the sooner we can bring him at your mother's place. He would be better off there than in here, wouldn't he?"

Gemini nodded. "Right," he said, his voice unusually flat and devoid of emotion as he scratched his dog's ears again "daddy will be right back with all your things, alright?" he said, and Pepe yapped softly, licking his hand. Gemini sighed and finally walked out of the vet's study. "Let's go, agent Alpha."

Shego glanced at the still shaken vet. "If you want a friendly advice, take great care of that dog until we get back. Unless you have suicidal tendencies, of course – in that case feel free to neglect it," she said with a shrug before turning to follow Gemini outside. She was pretty certain Pepe would be treated _extremely_ well while they were away.

* * *

Shego had heard a lot of times that dog owners can end up spoiling their pets… but that was simply ridiculous, she thought as she loaded what probably was the millionth chew toy on the jet. "I hope we're done, boss, because the jet isn't going to take much more," she said, turning to Gemini.

Her boss nodded a little absentmindedly, glancing at a chew toy he held in his flesh and blood hand. "Do you think he'd mind if I keep just this one?" he asked somewhat weakly,

Shego had to refrain from rolling her eyes… or smashing his head against the closest wall to make him behave like _himself_ again: that would probably feel way more satisfying. "Boss, the jet is loaded with toys like that," she pointed out "I'm sure your dog won't even notice that one is missing."

"Good point," Gemini admitted, putting the chew toy in his pocket with a sigh "we can go, I think I got everything."

"So, are we just going to land on your mother's lawn after we pick up your dog?" Shego asked, rising an eyebrow.

"No, I don't want to get any kind of…undesired attention on her house," he said "I have a place where we can hide the jet, a subterranean hangar just near the town. I also have a car there – we'll use that to reach home," he sat on the seat next to her and sighed heavily, and Shego noticed for the first time how dreadfully tired he looked.

"Didn't sleep well last night, boss?" she asked as the jet began to take off once again. She expected him to order her to mind her own business, but much to her surprise he just shrugged.

"I didn't get a minute of sleep," he mumbled instead, gazing a little absentmindedly outside. He stayed silent for a few more moments, then: "Agent Alpha?"

"Yes?"

Gemini hesitated. Agent Alpha couldn't know that there were two ways to eject her seat out of the jet: by pressing the button in front of the pilot…or by pressing the button on the remote control he was holding in his mechanical hand right now, and in that case there wouldn't be any parachute to save her. He hadn't forgotten how she had blasted him the previous morning, not to mention how generally _disrespectful_ she had been the previous day: under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have hesitated to dispose of any agent who had dared to defy, even to _attack_ him like that. Still…

He bit his lower lip. Still, he couldn't ignore the fact Pepe probably wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for her. He hated to admit it, but he really had lost his mind when he had found him so sick the previous day: hadn't she blasted him to make him stop throwing a tantrum and then convinced him to just get the jet and bring him to the vet, his precious little Pepe could have died right there on his desk. He couldn't even bring himself to _think_ about that possibility. She had disrespected him and broken a lot of his rules, that was true…but he still owed her his puppy's life, and he couldn't ignore it.

"Your assistance was invaluable," he finally heard himself saying as he put the remote control back in his pocket without pressing the button "once we're back at the base, consider yourself off duty for the rest of the week."

"Ah," Shego muttered, a little surprised. Truth to be told, she had been fully expecting him to complain for her behaviour sooner or later – he didn't seem one to take lightly something like being blasted by one of his agent in front of half of his other agents. Then again, she thought, she had saved that stupid rat's life… and she guessed that was the closest thing to a thank you she could get out of him. Not that she really _wanted_ him to thank her or something, of course, but getting the rest of the week off was rather nice. Not to mention that she had deserved it after what she had been through! "Thanks, boss," she said a little mechanically.

There were a few moments of silence, then Gemini cleared his throat. "Pepe means a lot to me," he finally said a little defensively, as if she had stated aloud how utterly pathetic his concern for that yelping little bugger was. Maybe he wasn't totally unaware of it and was somehow trying to not seem too much of a pansy now that he was finally reassured on his dog's health and had a chance to think more clearly.

Shego raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I noticed," she said, just a little sarcastically. And she had to _bite_ her tongue to not point out just how pathetic his reaction to his dog's sickness had been – really, couldn't he at least _try_ to handle it like any grown man?

Gemini grimaced as he detected the sarcasm. "You would understand if you had a dog too," he said with a scowl, folding his arms "I bet you never _had_ one!"

"Actually, I did," Shego replied, her features softening a little at the thought "some cross-breed thing Hego found in a trash bin when we were kids. He decided to call him Pongo because he had just seen that movie about a bunch of Dalmatians and felt like being _so_ original that day," she rolled her eyes.

"Hey, who says a dog's name _has_ to be original? I named my first dog Mimi!" Gemini protested a little sulkily.

Shego sighed – great, she had jus found out there _was_ someone in the world who could be almost as corny as Hego. Amazing. "Fine, fine, whatever," she said "anyway, he stayed with us for something like… almost ten years, I think, maybe even one or two years more. The twins cried for days when he was ran over by a car," she added, suddenly sounding somewhat melancholic, and it was clear that her brothers hadn't been the only ones to be saddened by their pet's passing.

"Oh," Gemini seemed a little uneasy "I'm sorry. I know what it feels like."

Shego seemed to hesitate, then she shook her head almost angrily to get rid of that sudden sense of melancholy that had pervaded her – that was simply ridiculous, that dog had been dead for over… just how many years? She couldn't even recall. "It's been a lot of time ago," she said somewhat coldly "and he was old anyway – I'm _fine_. You gotta get over it at some point. Dogs don't live as long as people do, you know," she added, glancing sideways at him.

Gemini snorted. "Who do you take me for? _Of course_ I know it, Pepe's not my first dog," he snapped, and it was true. He had had a lot of other dogs over the years, since when he was a boy, and he remembered them perfectly. _All_ of them. "But it's not like it gets easier to handle after the first few ones or something, you know. Did you _ever_ have another dog after that one?"

Shego was about to snap, then she paused and frowned in thought. "No," she finally said "we didn't."

"And _why_ not?"

"Because we didn't have time for a dog anymore, that's why," Shego said almost defensively, but it was only partially true. The actual reason why neither her nor her brothers had wanted another dog was because they didn't want to get through the loss again. It was ridiculous, of course – a dog's death should have been nothing compared to losing their parents in the comet crash that had given them their powers…still, it was like that dog had been their last link to their previous life with their parents, and losing him had _hurt_.

Obviously, Hego would claim they wouldn't get another one because they were too busy fighting crime and she and Mego would say they had better stuff to do than taking care of a pet, but they all knew what the actual reason was… and the twins were the only ones who would really admit it.

She expected Gemini to keep questioning her, but he simply shrugged and turned to glance outside again. Neither of them spoke again for the rest of the flight.


	6. The real boss

"Here we are," Gemini said with a sigh as he parked the car in front of a rather small, very ordinary looking house with a lawn "I hope she's home," he added, faintly thinking that he probably should have phoned to let her know that he was getting there and why. Oh, well, there was no point in worrying about it now.

Shego nodded and got off the car, faintly surprised by how… _normal_ that place looked, considering that the person living there happened to be the mother of the leaders of two extremely powerful worldwide organization. "Same here," she said – she couldn't wait to get done with that whole thing so she could get back to the base and just rest on the tanning bed, and she really hoped she wasn't out having tea or playing bridge or something.

"What about Pepe?"

Shego turned to glance at the dog sleeping on in the pet carrier on the backseat, surrounded by his toys and stuff. "Well, he's still sleeping, so no need to wake him up now. We'll bring him in after we explain your mother the situation."

Gemini nodded. "Good point," he admitted, closing the door – though he made sure he let the window slightly open for his dog to get fresh air – and finally walking to the door of a house on their left.

Shego followed him, and she noticed some dogs – all chihuahuas – playing or just lazily resting on the lawn. "The rest of the litter?" she guessed.

"Most of them, yes – and their mother, of course," Gemini replied before whistling, causing all dogs to immediately turn to them and then to scurry towards him. Something vaguely resembling a smile finally appeared on Gemini's face as he crouched to pet the dogs that enthusiastically welcomed him, yapping and waving their tails – none of them seemed as neurotic as the one he had decided to keep, but they all seemed glad to see him. "Hello there," he muttered, his smile widening as one of them began to playfully try chewing his mechanical hand "long time no see, uh?"

"You know, boss, this seems a better place for a dog to stay than the base," Shego pointed out, trying to ignore the fact he was starting to sound awfully like DNAmy with her creatures again. Maybe she could convince him to leave that witching mass of nerves there permanently, she thought somewhat hopefully. Things at the base could only get better without that little bugger yelping all the time.

Something in what she said clearly reminded Gemini of something, for he stood upright again and turned to her. "Speaking of that, agent Alpha – not a word about WEE or its activities. My mother doesn't know my actual… job, and she better not find out. If she finds out because of you, you'll be sorry," he threatened, and he felt almost relieved – aside from the vet he hadn't gotten to threaten many people in those past few hours, and it felt oddly reassuring.

Shego raised an eyebrow at the sense of déjà vu. "Are you telling me your mother doesn't know what you _really_ do?" she said, sounding a lot more surprised than she actually was. After all, if even Drakken – whose world domination schemes usually ended up in the news – had managed to not let his mother know he was a supervillain, it didn't surprise her too much Gemini could do the same with his, considering that his organization mostly worked behind the scenes.

She faintly wondered if he wasn't worried his sister could spill the beans, but she eventually shrugged; if she hadn't all those years, there had to be a reason. Maybe she wanted their mother to keep thinking her son was a good citizen – do-gooders can do sappy stuff like that. It was a weakness, at least in Shego's opinion: if she had no such issues, she could have taken advantage of it by turning their own mother against her evil twin.

"No, she doesn't. And she's better off _not knowing_," Gemini said, glaring sideways at her "if she asks anything, you're my secretary."

"I'm _what_?"

"Don't discuss my orders, agent Alpha! I-- hi, mom!" he said, his grimace suddenly turning into a somewhat sheepish smile as he saw the front door opening, and Shego blinked at the sudden change of attitude. She followed his gaze to see a woman – definitely older than Mrs. Lipsky was, for her hair were silvery-white and she seemed to be well in her seventies – standing on the doorway, her arms folded.

"Hello, Sheldon," she said, and Shego blinked as she realized that until that moment she had never even wondered what Gemini's true name was. Sheldon? His name was _Sheldon_? Man, now she could definitely see why he had decided to make a villain name for himself like Drakken and Dementor had: who could ever take seriously any villain whose name was Sheldon anyway?

Gemini shifted a little nervously under his mother's gaze, like a child that did something wrong and knows he's about to be scolded. "So, uh…"

"Well, it was about time you showed up," she muttered, giving no sign of having noticed Shego's presence for now, her gaze fixed on Gemini – who, on the other hand, squirmed a little uncomfortably, looking even more like a kid caught with his hands in the cookie jar.

"Yes, I've been… uh…" he cleared his throat "busy. And I had to travel a lot, and…and…I tried to call you anyway!" he protested, folding his arms "it's not my fault if you always keep your cell phone shut off!"

"Oh, that thing!" his mother shrugged with a slight frown "it's noisy, I can't find it when I'm looking for it and it's something I can do without anyway. What's wrong with calling _home_ once in a while? The number is always the same."

"Er…" Gemini hesitated, clearly not knowing how to retort.

"See? You didn't even _think_ about it," the woman shook her head "and I keep saying the same to your sister, too. Why in the world is it so hard for young people to use actual phones?"

"Mom, I'm _forty_ already!" her son protested, and Shego could barely hold back an amused snicker. Fine, Gemini's mother wasn't quite as embarrassing to her son as Mrs. Lipsky was to Dr. D, but it was still incredibly amusing watching her boss being scolded and embarrassed by his mother... especially when her boss happened to be someone like Gemini. One could expect to see something like that happening to Drakken, but to Gemini? Not so much. Still, after witnessing his behavior whenever his dog was in any kind of distress, Shego supposed nothing should surprise him anymore. That guy was _weird_.

"So what? I'm pushing eighty," his mother was going on, her index finger poking his stomach, and Shego realized she had to be older than she had thought at first… not to mention she could now see where Gemini's obsession with being older and thus being right came from "which makes me almost twice your age."

Gemini was about to retort, then he finally sighed and lifted his hands. "Alright, can't argue with that," he admitted, and his mother grinned.

"You could _never_ argue with me," she pointed out somewhat fondly, reaching up to ruffle his hair – she could only manage to reach for Gemini's head because she was standing on the porch while he was on the lawn. He tried to protest, muttering something about how he wasn't a kid or something, but her mother had already turned her attention on Shego for the first time.

"Don't listen to what he says, he really is a big kid sometimes," she said, and Shego couldn't help but snicker despite the deadly glare Gemini was giving her from behind his mother's back.

"I see," she said. Her boss would probably get mad at her for agreeing later, but who cared? She could have some fun at his expenses after what she had been through because of him and his stupid dog…not to mention that she couldn't disagree with her boss' mother, could she? Especially since she seemed the _real_ boss now.

"Yeah, _sure_," he said sulkily, but he had clearly decided to settle the matter in another moment… possibly without his mother around "anyway, she is--"

"A colleague," Shego said quickly before he could even _try_ to say she was his secretary or something, faintly wondering what kind of work he had told his mother he did… oh, well, it couldn't be worse than pretending to be a doctor who gives advices via radio. She held out her hand – she usually didn't bother with such cutesy, but she didn't want her to suspect anything was wrong "I'm Shego Go."

The older woman nodded, and when she shook her hand Shego was surprised by how strong her grip was. It seemed like she wasn't quite as fragile as she looked after all. "I'm Theresa Director – pleased to meet you… and don't look at me like that, Shelly, it still _is_ my surname. It's not like your father and I ever officially divorced, you know."

Shego blinked. Had she just called him…? "Shelly?" she repeated, trying with all her might to not burst out laughing – and there she had thought there could be nothing worse than Mrs. Lipsky's 'Drewbie'…!

Gemini's face, on the other hand, was turning into an interesting shade of purplish red. "Mom!" he protested, desperately avoiding to look at Shego. He couldn't believe his mother had just called him with his old childhood nickname right in front of his agent Alpha!

"Oh, don't start complaining again," she said with a shrug, but the smirk on her lips was more than enough to tell Shego she knew perfectly in how much embarrassment she had just put her son… maybe she had done so in purpose to get him back for not calling often enough? Shego thought so. Now _that _was evil – it looked like Gemini had taken more after that small, innocent-looking lady than one could think at first. "So, are you getting in or we're just going to stand here on the porch?"

"Well…" Gemini hesitated, turning to glance at the car in which Pepe was most likely still sleeping soundly "really, there one thing I need to ask you."

His mother rolled her eyes. "Oh, so you're here because you need something – go figure," she chuckled before taking a step back to let them in "but you can still ask me over some pie, can't you?"

Gemini's gaze seemed to lighten up as he heard the word 'pie'. "Sure," he immediately replied, sounding a lot more enthusiastic as he stepped in, closely followed by Shego – who was still trying to think of a way to mock him about his nickname and get away with it.

* * *

Both Gemini and his mother barely seemed to acknowledge her presence too much for the minutes that followed as Gemini explained her the situation. Not that Shego minded: it wasn't like she cared about whatever happened to that dog. She just ate some pie and let her gaze wander through the house – a small, ordinary house in a relatively small town. It was hard to believe people like Gemini and Dr. Director could have grown up in a quiet, ordinary place like that, she mused, then she blinked as her gaze fell on a framed picture on the wall.

It was surely rather old, for it showed a much younger Gemini – not yet old enough to shave, with both his hands and both his eyes, she thought with an inward chuckle – and a girl she supposed was Dr. Director, both of them smiling at the camera like the normal teenagers they were. It looked like their rivalry hadn't always been quite as heated as it was now. Maybe it had gotten worse over the years, she mused, giving one last glance at the picture before turning her attention to what Gemini and his mother were saying.

"So, you want me to keep the little monster for a while, uh?" Theresa Director said with a shrug as she took a sip of tea.

Shego was absolutely certain that had anyone else – either one of his agents or an innocent bystander – talked of his beloved pet like that, Gemini's reaction would have been anything but pleasant. That rule, however, definitely didn't seem to apply to his mother, for he simply pouted. "Mom!" he nearly whined, much to Shego's amusement "you promised you wouldn't call him like that again!"

"Oh, quit it, he's not here to listen," his mother hushed him "I'll never stop wondering just how stressing moving around the globe with you can be for him – he wasn't such a twitching mass of nerves when he was a pup," she said, and Gemini had to bite his tongue to not tell that it had been all Betty's fault for sending that agent in his headquarters that had caused the explosion his beloved pup had been nearly caught into.

"He… had a bad experience with a cat," he said lamely.

Thankfully, his mother didn't seem up to dwell in the matter. "Where is he anyway?"

"He's sleeping in the car," Gemini said a little sulkily "he fell asleep on our way here – I'll go to get him," he added, getting up. He was about to call for agent Alpha for her to help him bringing in all the various chew toys and items he had brought for his dog, but he realized it would sound odd if he gave orders to a 'colleague', so he held back just in time. On the other hand, he didn't really like the idea of leaving agent Alpha alone with his mother – he was afraid she could get to know even more embarrassing details of his childhood, not to mention that she wouldn't know what to say should his mother ask something related to work. He finally glanced at agent Alpha. "I'll be back in a minute," he muttered, narrowing his eye, and it didn't take much for Shego to get his message.

_Don't mess up._

"He always adored that dog," Theresa Director muttered almost apologetically as he quickly got out, turning her full attention to Shego for the first time in the past twenty minutes – she had been too focused talking to her son until that moment.

"Yeah, I noticed," Shego said "I thought he would go insane when he found him agonizing. It took a while to get him thinking clearly enough to bring it to the vet."

"I can just picture it. He tends to get unreasonable when he's upset," Theresa Director said with a chuckle, and Shego faintly wondered if she _knew_ that what she had just said was the understatement of the decade "especially when it comes to that dog. He always had a thing for dogs, but he hadn't been that attached to any of them after the first one we had."

"Great, I was afraid he was like that with any dog that crossed his way," Shego said, barely minding the fact she was speaking to her boss' mother about his obsession over his pet – after talking about Drakken's mother about her son's pet names and childhood games, it was seemed almost normal "what's up with this one in particular?" she asked. He seemed to be fond on the rest of the litter too, but not nearly as devoted as he was to Pepe.

The old woman shrugged. "He was very weak after his birth, and he barely moved – we thought he was stillborn at first. The vet said there wasn't a chance he would live past the first couple of days, and that it would probably be better putting him to sleep immediately. You should have seen Sheldon's reaction," she laughed "for a moment I thought he would have throttled that poor guy if Betty – his sister, you see--"

Shego couldn't help but smirk. "Yes, he told me he has a younger sister."

"Younger my foot, they're _twins_," Theresa Director sighed in mock exasperation "that's one fixation he always had. Anyway, hadn't my daughter been there to stop him, the vet probably wouldn't have made it out this house in one piece."

Yes, that sounded just like Gemini. "He's a little short tempered, isn't he?" she said, raising an eyebrow. She had to admit that it was kind of fun badmouthing her boss a little… and with his _mother_, nonetheless.

"Oh, no need to hold back now that he isn't around. My son has a plainly awful temper, just like his father," the older woman chuckled "sometimes he's a force to be reckoned with, and Betty is the only one I know who can handle him in such occasions. Beside me, of course," she added with a crooked smile.

Shego found herself grinning as she thought back at how Gemini had barely complained when she had called him with his childhood nickname and then had called his beloved pet a 'little monster'. After all, she guessed that anyone who had raised both Gemini and Dr. Director just _had_ to have a strong character and an iron fist.

"In any case," Theresa Director was going on "he refused to follow the vet's advice – I'm sure you know how terribly stubborn he could be."

Shego couldn't help but roll her eyes a little. "You _bet_ I do."

"Then you can imagine how irremovable his decision that the pup should live was. He decided to give him a chance, and none of us could convince him otherwise – he would spend his nights awake looking after him. Apparently he was right since the pup survived, and he grew attached to that little thing more than he has to any other dog in years. And believe me, to some degree he grew attached to _every_ dog we ever had," she finished with something that could have been either a sigh or a chuckle.

"Uh-hu," Shego mumbled, grinning a little at the cheesy story she had just heard – now that certainly wasn't a bad guy thing, she mused. She couldn't way to get an occasion to let him know what she had just learned: not that his devotion to that dog could get any more pathetic than it was already, she thought. Still...

She was snapped from her thoughts as Gemini walked back inside and put the pet carrier in which Pepe was starting to stir on the table. He glanced at Shego briefly, and he seemed relieved to realize she hadn't messed up…though she doubted he would be glad to know what she had just learned about him, she mused with a barely repressed chuckle.

"Here he is," Gemini said, opening the pet carrier and carefully cradling the small dog in the crook of his arm "he's waking up."

"Oh, the poor thing," Theresa muttered, reaching to stroke Pepe's muzzle, apparently having forgotten how s he had defined him a 'little monster' minutes before – it looked like the newly sewed surgery wound and the cone he had around his neck to prevent him from licking it did a lot to soften her "it wasn't your best day ever, was it?"

Pepe blinked to focus her better, then he seemed to recognize her and licked her hand. "He should still be sleepy for a while," Gemini said, gently reaching down to scratch his pet's head as much as the cone allowed him "I…brought his basket, and his pillow, and some of his toys – they're on the porch. And his favorite blanket, too. He can't sleep without it, so remember to tuck him in--" he trailed off as his mother raised a hand to cut him off.

"Sheldon, it's not the fist time I deal with a dog who just went through surgery, in case you've forgotten, and I know this little one's quirks at heart. He will be fine."

Shego was sure that had it been anyone else Gemini would have replied with some horrible threat he would carry on should anything go wrong, but now he just sighed. "I know," he replied, still stroking his dog's head before cooing at him something about how daddy would call him every day and would take him back as soon as he felt better. Theresa Director took another sip of tea to hide an amused smile, and Shego took another bite of pie to not start snickering. It probably wouldn't be a good idea.

* * *

As Gemini had promised, she _did_ get the rest of the week off. Maybe that whole mess with that oversized rat had been worth it after all, she mused as she put some more lotion on her stomach – despite her pale skin she didn't burn easily, but you can never know – and adjusted her sunglasses a little. As much as staying months without doing anything actually exciting had bored her, now that she worked for WEE it didn't hurt getting some extra free time. It wasn't that bad at all, especially taking the pay checks in consideration, but it could still be stressing and she had missed just spending a few days at the beach. It was relaxing.

The again, she thought with a slight frown, maybe it was a little too relaxing. It wouldn't hurt having something _else_ to do other than sunbathing. Maybe she could rent a car and take a look at the town nearby that weekend, she thought. It would break the monotony a little. Or else…

_Or else you could pay a visit to Dr. D while you're at it. You said you would, and It's been a while since last time after all. Aren't you curious to see how he's doing?_

Shego grinned a little at the idea. Yes, she thought, maybe it was about time she dropped by. She had been missing mocking him a little after all.

* * *

Throughout the years, while he was usually busy working on some project all week long, Sunday included – because having pretty much no other goal but taking over the world tends to make you do that – Drakken had always slept through the morning on Saturday. It was an old habit he had always had, and he still couldn't get rid of it… and why should he? Friday night was _still_ all about karaoke, and that summed to a week of work for GJ made him so tired that he just needed to sleep a little more.

Of course, that 'little more' usually meant that he didn't wake up until noon, but it was a minor detail that could be overlooked. If anything it would make the weekend seem shorter: truth to be told, he sometimes got a bit lonely during weekends. Working with GJ was anything but boring, of course – it made him busy as heck most of the day, and it was satisfying finally getting some _recognition_ for his genius now that the agents' adversity for him had mellowed – but it still felt odd having nothing to do during weekends. Back when he was on to take over the world, he would usually spend his weekends working on his next plan for world domination; now he would most likely slack most of the time, almost wishing it was Monday again already.

He should probably ask Dr. Director to let him work during weekends too, he mused: maybe she would let him. He had heard she was often working during weekends anyway – to get rid of the paper work she hadn't done during the week, she would always say. It made him feel a little better that he wasn't the only one who really didn't know what to _do_ outside work, Drakken mused, tiptoeing to the door so that Commodore Puddles didn't hear him. He had gotten him back from his mother to have him keeping him some company – it felt just so _weird_ living alone in a common house rather than in a lair buzzing with activity – and it actually worked… too bad his dog hadn't lost the habit of eating any newspaper in sight, and Drakken wouldn't have minded getting to _read_ them before they were torn apart.

As he opened the front door to take the newspaper he was still so relieved by the fact Commodore Puddles hadn't heard him that he was completely startled to see a very familiar face just inches away from his, its owner hanging upside down from the porch.

"Boo."

"Eep!" he yelped, letting the coffee mug – the old one with the writing 'I heart world domination' – fall on the ground. The noise clearly got Commodore Puddles' attention, for just a moment later he rushed on the porch, took the newspaper in his jaws and ran back inside, clearly satisfied. So much for reading the news, Drakken thought with a sigh.

Shego grinned, clearly amused by his reaction. "Long time no see, uh, Dr. D?" she asked casually, climbing down the porch to stand in front of him.

Drakken ran a hand through his messy hair a little self-consciously. It wasn't the first time she saw him in his pajamas early in the morning, still…! "Uh… yes, it's been a while," he said, glancing around somewhat worriedly.

"Don't worry, doc, no one knows I'm here," Shego said with a shrug, stepping inside without waiting for him to invite her "and I'm not here for work anyway."

"Ah," Drakken gave a sigh of relief as he closed the door, suddenly looking a lot more pleased by her visit "so, you just decided to drop by?" he asked somewhat hopefully.

"I just wanted to see how you're doing without me," she said, glancing around but barely noticing how messy the house was – it felt so _odd_ trying to picture Dr. D into an actual home instead of a lair! "Still messy, uh? No henchmen or your mom to pick up your stuff?" she finally smirked, poking his chest.

Drakken snorted. "Hey, I'm a busy person, you know!" he protested "and I'm just too _tired_ to clean up when I get back home."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah, I _see_ how busy you are," she said, meaningfully glancing at his still sleepy face and his blue pajamas "you _do_ realize it's almost noon, don't you, Dr. Oversleep?"

"It was a tiring week," Drakken grumbled, even though Shego's taunts felt so familiar and almost _soothing_ that he couldn't bring himself to really be bothered "and I bet you know why," he added a little accusingly "that last caper of yours for WEE nearly _drowned_ us in work."

Shego grinned. "Yeah, that mission went quite well, uh?" she said with a shrug "did you think I had lost my touch?" she asked smugly.

"I almost hoped you would – I liked it better when you worked _for_ me," Drakken said, but he was smirking a little "but no, you didn't. I thought Dr. Director would have strangled both you and Gemini personally if she ever got her hands on you."

Shego chuckled. "Yeah, I bet. And I thought Gemini would have ended up drunk with champagne after the first mission I led," she smiled a little at the memory as she recalled how tipsy he was when he had promoted her as his agent Alpha.

"Well, that is one detail Dr. Director is better off _not_ knowing," Drakken said, though he was smirking as well, then he gestured to the kitchen "so, uh… how about lunch?"

Shego blinked. "Lunch?"

"Its lunchtime, isn't it?"

Shego was about to reply he had _just_ woken up, then she shrugged as she remembered he did have the habit of getting up at noon to have lunch directly whenever he spent the night working on something. "Okay, lunch sounds good," she said – admittedly, she was a little hungry. "What is there in your kitchen?"

* * *

All in all, Drakken had to admit they had a nice time. Sure, Shego's taunts could still get annoying – her constant reminders of how he apparently was way better at helping saving the world than at conquering it were probably something he could have done without – and there hadn't been much to eat other than some leftovers, but he had still enjoyed himself much more than he had ever thought it could be possible.

What the heck, he had _missed_ all that stuff that came with Shego's presence: he could almost think they were still in some lair working to take over the world if he wasn't currently laughing his head off at her tale about the whole mess that had happened with Gemini's dog. "S… Shelly? His mother calls him _Shelly_?" Drakken laughed again, almost chocking on a roast potato "and he _lets_ her?"

"Yeah, he lets her. Would you believe that, _Drewbie_?" Shego said with a smirk, and Drakken immediately scowled.

"Shelly is worse anyway – it's a _girl_ name. And you promised you wouldn't bring that up again," he whined.

"Yes, I did. I lied. So sue me," her smirk broadened at his sulky expression "anyway, you wouldn't _believe_ just how pathetic he can get when that rat is involved," she rolled her eyes "so much for a supposedly bad guy. It was like having to baby-sit you, all over again."

"Shego!"

"Just kidding, doc. Maybe," she reached to playfully poke his chest "and what about you? Still having trouble with GJ?"

Drakken's expression immediately brightened. "Oh, it's going better. I helped bringing down Dementor latest scheme – man, wasn't _that_ satisfying! – and now everyone knows I'm a genius!" he boasted a little "even Dr. Director complimented me, and that Will Du guy had to keep his mouth shut, so there!"

Shego raised an eyebrow. "Hey, sounds great. Is that guy still looking after whatever you're doing?"

He immediately made a face. "For another while, yes – Dr. Director says it's a matter of protocol. But she also said that it won't be for much longer and that she's seriously considering signing the papers to end my trial period by the end of the month! And then--" he trailed off, and for a moment he seemed almost unsure "er… you're not going to tell all this stuff to Gemini, right?"

Shego threw up her hands. "Dang, you got me. Fine, I confess – I only came here in the attempt to get as much info as possible from you so I could refer to my boss. And now that you got me, I'll have to kidnap you so that Gemini will torture the info out of you," she said. She tried to stay serious, but the look of utter horror on Drakken's face was just too much and she could only last a few instants before she began laughing.

"C'mon, Dr. D, this is so easy that it isn't funny!" she exclaimed, reaching to pinch his ear "I already told you I'm not here for work. The boss doesn't even know I'm here, and he's not going to anyway – whatever I go in my days off is none of his business," she reassured him.

"Oh," Drakken couldn't hide a sigh of relief "so… what we said in here stays in here, right?"

"You bet – we didn't even _meet_, did we?"

"Nope, we didn't."

"Perfect. And anyway I doubt anything I told you about Gemini and his mom is something your boss doesn't know already," Shego said, causing Drakken to snicker a little at the thought before he turned serious, as if he had just been reminded of something.

His sudden change of behaviour didn't escape her. "Something's wrong, Dr. D?"

"Well…" he hesitated just for a few instants before he cleared his throat and went on "maybe I should warn you – Dr. Director thinks you're WEE's most dangerous agent right now…"

"I am," Shego pointed out with a smirk.

"… so she asked me to, uh… you know, since I know you so well…" he shifted a little uneasily, as if he were expecting her to hit him "she asked me to come up with something that could stop you."

It took Shego a few moments to realize what he had just said. "Ah," she muttered, a little surprised by the thought… still, why should she be surprised? Actually, she should have expected it to happen at some point: she knew perfectly they would be working on opposite sides when she chose to join WEE after all. "And you accepted, uh?"

"I had to if I wanted to keep the job," he said almost defensively, apparently a little relieved to see she didn't seem to be up to smite him "so, uh, I just… it isn't ready yet, and it will take some more work, but… look out, okay?"

Shego shrugged. "Sure – I'm curious to see what you've got," she grinned a little and lit up her hand almost absentmindedly "I hope you'll put some effort in it, because I'll be disappointed if it turns out to be too easy to beat."

"Oh," relief was now showing clearly on Drakken's face since she didn't seem up to threaten him to burn his face off so he would tell her what it was "so… you're not going to be mad?"

"Hey, we play on opposite teams, and rules are rules," Shego waved her hand dismissively "we knew that could happen already, right, Dr. D?"

"I guess so," he admitted, then he cleared his throat "it's nothing _personal_ anyway," he pointed out.

She grinned. "Sure it isn't, Drewbie," she said, reaching to poke him across the table to pock him, and Drakken groaned.

"Knock it off!" he protested, but he was too glad to know she didn't think of it as anything personal either to really be bothered.


	7. Boredom and gossip

_A/N: so, here's the seventh chapter - also, it's the last one I had written beforehand. I do have another couple of chapters written, actually, but they're set towards the end and at least two or three more chapters need to be written before the story gets to that point. This means I probably won't manage to update as often as I did until now; I'll try my best to not let too much time pass before I post the next chapters though._

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* * *

  
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"The boss isn't in a good mood lately, uh?" agent Delta muttered as he took another look at the monitor – no intruders, as usual. Why did he even bother looking anyway? Nobody knew about that base, and thus nobody would look for them there… and in any case, the base was completely hidden underground: locating the exact position without them noticing hours before they even found the entrance would be impossible.

"He's in an awful mood," Iota commented, leaning back on his seat with a yawn – while he didn't mind uneventful days once in a while, they could be _boring_ "I guess it's because he doesn't have his dog anymore, I heard he had to leave him in some other place so it could recover."

"Are you sure it isn't dead?"

"Nah, I'm sure it's not – Gemini and Agent Alpha did bring all its toys and stuff somewhere, remember? Besides, he would be in a much worse mood if that dog had really died."

Agent Theta snorted. "If it died, so much the better. I couldn't stand that thing."

All agents in the room paled. "Hey, watch your tongue!" Beta snapped at him.

"Oh, c'mon, don't tell me you don't think it's much better without that rat around," Theta insisted "the boss is in a bad mood, alright, but he always is anyway. At least now we don't have to be careful whenever we talk about Global Justice because that stupid thing would have hissy fit. I hope it stays well away from here for another while."

"Theta, shut up!" Omega almost pleaded "if Gemini hears you…!"

"Hey, he's not even here to hear anyone! I bet he's still in the control room brooding because that rat isn't--" he abruptly trailed off as a horribly familiar voice came from a screen behind him.

"Agent Theta, would you mind stepping a little on your left?"

All agents immediately cringed and turned to see Gemini glancing down at them from the main screen, his eye narrowed, his hand lingering over a button on his console – all agents but Theta, who didn't even turn to face his boss: he just gave a high-pitched scream and tried to run away.

"Yes, that spot is fine too," Gemini said with a shrug before pressing the button. A trapdoor opened just beneath Theta's feet while he had almost reached the door, then it closed again, cutting off his terrified scream. Gemini gave a satisfied nod before glancing at the rest of his agents. "Agent Iota, you're the new agent Theta – go see if there is an uniform your size in the laundry room. And, agent Beta?"

"Yes, sir?"

"We need a few new agents, apparently. There are some names on our waiting list. Contact…" he paused and glanced at the monitor on his desk "Charles Hillman, Bryant Brown and Evan Dugan. Tell them they're the new agents Iota, Sigma and Phi respectively. I expect them to be on service on Monday morning – make sure they know what to do."

"Yes sir," Beta – the one who as agent Gamma had given Shego her first tour of the base and who usually had the duty of dealing with newbies – immediately replied. He gave a sigh of relief as his boss disappeared from the screen, then he turned to the other agents. "So," he said quietly "who's going to tell him that the engine of the helicopter crashed?"

Predictably enough, there were no volunteers.

* * *

Gemini gave a satisfied snicker as he switched off the screen – sending some idiot down a chasm always brightened his mood. "That will teach him," he muttered, turning to his right with a grin, but his grin faltered as he realized Pepe was not on his desk – he was nowhere in the base, really. Old habits die hard, Gemini thought with a grimace, leaning more comfortably on the seat. It looked like he was going to have to get used to the fact he was now alone in the control room unless he summoned some agent.

He sighed and glanced at the monitor on his desk, but nothing relevant was happening at the moment: no reports, no news, no messages, nothing. He reached to press the button on his control panel to get some cheese fries – not that he was really hungry, but he needed to do _something_. He did his best to ignore the button he used to get a fluffy pillow for his Pepe, reached for the cheese fries that had just emerged from a panel on his desk and unwillingly took one.

He considered calling his mother to ask her to let him speak to Pepe for at least few minutes and he nearly reached for the button, but he changed his mind and just took another cheese fry – she surely wasn't home right now, since she always had lunch with some friends on Tuesdays. Oh, well, he would call her later. Until that moment he would just… well…

Gemini let his gaze wander through the empty room before glancing almost hopefully at the monitor on his desk – no, no new reports. He nervously tapped a mechanical finger on his desk, the low clanging sound of metal hitting metal echoing in the empty room and make it seem even bigger and emptier than it really was. He sighed and looked at the spot where Pepe would usually sit before turning his gaze on the dish filled with fries, not feeling hungry in the slightest.

He frowned a little as he recalled what he and Betty would do as children in those rare moments they didn't feel like eating their food – they'd start to make sculptures or something with it, and then they would ask their mother whose creation was better. Their mother would always say that they both looked lovely and that she couldn't choose, but he _knew_ his were better than hers…!

Gemini snorted, grimacing a little at the thought, his only eye still fixed on the fries. Oh, well, he thought as he reached for the plate, maybe trying to see if he could build something with those fries would keep him busy for a while… at least until he could find something else to do.

* * *

"Er… agent Alpha?"

Shego raised her gaze from the magazine she was reading to see a few agents standing in front of her seat, looking rather nervous – not quite as nervous as they looked anytime they were around Gemini, but close enough. The one who had spoken was even wriggling his hands. It was agent Omega, of course: the others would always make him do whatever they were too scared to do themselves…. like speaking to her, apparently. Shego couldn't help but find it quite amusing – they clearly hadn't forgotten how easily she had beaten the crap out of them. "What?" she asked, still holding up the magazine.

Omega glanced at the others almost hopefully, but no one reacted in the slightest, so he just sighed and finally spoke. "Well, you see… the engine of the helicopter broke."

She raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, so _what_? Get another one," she said, shrugging dismissively and trying to resume reading. Fat chance.

"But we'll have to tell Gemini about it to get the permission to purchase a new engine, and…well…he's a little nervous today," Omega said, shuddering just a little as he thought of Theta's fate just a few minutes earlier – he didn't really _know_ what happened to dismissed agents, but he was certain it was nothing nice. Fine, Theta had pretty much asked for it, but still...

"That's kind of the understatement of the year, you know," Shego said with a grimace – he really was unapproachable those days…and she was sure it was because he had been separated from that whiny little bugger of his dog. Shego couldn't stand that oversized rat, but if not having him around made his owner's mood so terrible then _maybe_ it was almost worth having it in the base. "Anyway, how is that _my_ problem?"

"Well, everyone knows he wouldn't dispose of _you_ just because he's in a bad mood," Omicron spoke, apparently having decided she was safe enough to speak with for now "so, well… if you could tell him about the engine… er…" he thought for a few moments "…we'd be very grateful?" he added somewhat hesitantly.

"Oh, please – you're getting pathetic," she muttered, rolling her eyes, but she did get up from her seat "but you're going to wash my hovercraft," she added, turning to walk away. She usually would have had them doing her tasks in the base as well, but she was sure they'd mess up and she didn't want to get in trouble with Gemini because of their incompetence.

"Deal!" Omicron was all too happy to exclaim as she left the room, then he gave a sigh of relief and turned to the others. "Well, it isn't even much."

"She didn't seem to mind too much," Lambda commented, scratching the back of his head.

"Why should she? She knows the boss won't dispose of his agent Alpha unless she gives him a very good reason – and if he didn't do so even after she hit him, it would have to be something _really_ bad."

"True. It's weird, he would have disposed of all of us for much less…"

"It's not so weird if you think that she never failed a mission so far and probably saved his dog's life. Now go to wash her hovercraft, Omega," Zeta said, patting Omega's back before walking away to let Beta know Gemini was about to be informed about the engine.

Omega frowned a little in thought. "I wonder…" he muttered to himself, the he just shrugged and walked to the hanger – no, the idea that had crossed his mind was just _too_ weird to be plausible.

* * *

Gemini was trying to put another fry in place so that the roof would be halfway done, but his concentration was interrupted as the door of the control room buzzed open and Shego stepped in, looking definitely much more relaxed than any of his agents would have dared to be. "Hey, boss," she said, tilting her head to look up at the platform his desk was onto "sorry to interrupt whatever you're doing, but--" she trailed off and squinted to look better "…boss, tell me you're _not_ making a castle with fries."

"Of course not!" Gemini protested, quickly destroying the evidence and pushing the dish aside – it wasn't even that well done anyway, he thought.

"Okaaaay…" Shego muttered, a little amused "didn't your mother ever tell you to not play with your food?"

"Agent Alpha!" Gemini barked, "I'm not going to tolerate your attitude one second longer!"

"Alright, fine," she held up her hands "the guys sent me here to let you know the engine of the helicopter crashed. They need to get a new one."

He frowned. "Crashed?"

"Yeah. Don't ask for details, I have no idea. I was minding my own business when they asked me to be their messenger."

Gemini snorted, but overall he didn't seem to mind nearly as much as his agents had feared he would. "Whatever," he grumbled "they know what to do to get a new one, and they better make it _last_ if they don't want me to take the money to get the next one from their pay checks."

Shego shrugged. "Don't bite, I'll let them know," she said, turning to leave. Gemini frowned.

"Wait," he called after her, not really knowing what he would say next. Then again, he was bored and he felt somewhat lonely now that he was alone in there, and she was the only one in the base he could maybe have something resembling a decent conversation with… and she was at least someone _pleasant_ to look at. Not that it mattered, really… still, he hadn't even noticed just what a lousy company his agents were until he had to stay without his beloved pet.

Shego turned to glance at him. "Yes?"

_Alright, you better think of something to say now, unless you want to sound like an idiot._

"You're not dismissed until I say so," he finally said, his voice low and threatening "and I don't recall telling you to leave."

Shego felt a pang of annoyance – a rather strong pang of annoyance – but she ignored it. "Alright, fine, my bad. What is it?"

_That is a good question, you know. What is it?_

Gemini hesitated only for a fraction of second before snorting. "I don't need a reason to keep an agent here as long as I want," he pointed out.

Oh, great, yet another of his displays of authority. Shego barely held back a groan. "Okay, fine. So, am I just supposed to stand here or there _is_ a reason why I should stay?" she asked.

"Er…" Gemini hesitated again, then he shrugged "do I need a reason to start a conversation?" he finally asked.

Shego blinked. "…wait. Is it a _conversation_ you want?"

"Is that so odd?" he asked somewhat defensively, already regretting telling her to stay – what was he thinking anyway? Being alone really made him say and do unusual things. Still, now he couldn't take back what he had said without sounding like an idiot.

Shego was about to say that yes, coming from him it was both odd and somewhat creepy, but actually saying that was out of question. "Alright," she finally said "is there a subject you want to chat about or it was just random?"

He thought quickly. "I was about to ask you some things about…er…" he scratched his chin, looking rather unsure "well…"

"Random chat it is, then," Shego said with a shrug, inwardly wondering if that was because he felt lonely or something without his pet. But of course he did, it was to be expected…and since she was the only one with more than half a brain in that base, it was a given he would require her presence. "Just one thing – do I have to keep looking at you from down here? My neck is starting to ache already," she pointed out.

Gemini was about to snap, but he changed his mind as he realized it wouldn't be exactly comfortable for her to keep her head tilted back all the time. "Get over here then – it will be more comfortable for us both, I guess," he heard himself saying, faintly wondering what the hell was he thinking. Still, he didn't want her to leave him to bore himself to death again.

"Fine," Shego just said, walking up the flight of stairs "by the way, boss, was it necessary to have so many stairs?"

"I like looming over my subordinates," Gemini said with a shrug, then he grinned "not to mention I kind of like the effect it has any time I need to get some…information out of someone."

"Yeah, I bet," she said – that whole base seemed to be _meant_ to intimidate people "who designed this place anyway? The same guy who built Alcatraz?"

"I did," he replied with some pride.

Shego blinked. "You?"

He frowned. "Is it that hard to believe, agent Alpha?" he asked, and it was pretty clear he was about to start sulking.

"Hey, I didn't expect it. Wouldn't that take an engineer or something?"

"I _have_ a degree in engineering," he retorted.

Shego raised an eyebrow. "Oh," she said, her lips curling in a small smirk that didn't escape him.

"May I ask what do you mean with 'oh'?" he demanded to know, folding his arms a little grumpily.

"Nothing. It just isn't something that screams _evil_, is it?" she pointed out as she finally stood in front of his desk – she had dated an engineer briefly, and he was probably the most boring guy she had ever met, so _that_ was the kind of person she thought of any time she pictured what someone with a degree in engineering would be like.

Gemini snorted. "Yeah, because a teaching degree _does_," he retorted, and he couldn't hold back a smirk as Shego held up her hands.

"Touché," she admitted, taking a mental note to stop including it in her résumé; there was no point in including it anyway. Fine, it had been what had led Señor Senior Sr. to contact her when he had wanted her to give his son evil lessons and the old man had paid her well, but it still _wasn't _what she had really wanted to do when she had turned to crime.

"Besides, it's not like there is any kind of evilness degree," he added "too bad, if you ask to me."

"You know, I think there _is_ something like that, really. I read about it in some of those pamphlets they give you at the villain conventions."

"Well, there wasn't any when I went to college."

"Were there even _cars_ when you went to college?"

"Agent Alpha!" Gemini barked.

Shego grinned. "Hey, technically it was last century," she reminded him.

Gemini glared at her. "Whatever. You're not here to discuss about when and how I finished my studies, you know."

She sighed. "Fine, whatever. So, _what_ is the chat going to be about? I just hope this is not yet another of your debriefings." She was about to add how she hoped it wouldn't be another tirade about how much his sister sucked either, but she held back just in time.

Gemini couldn't help but smirk as he recalled the conversation she was referring to. "Why, I found that conversation to be quite interesting," he said, leaning back on his seat.

"It was enough to give me a headache," Shego muttered, causing him to chuckle.

"You have my word it won't happen this time," he said, reaching to press a button on his control panel "have a seat."

Shego raised an eyebrow, showing no intention to sit down. Gemini blinked for a moment, a little confused and vaguely enraged by what seemed an act of insubordination, then he gave a brief laugh as he realized what the problem was. "I can guarantee that this seat isn't doing to rocket upwards once you sit on it. I have no reason to get rid of you, do I?" he asked "it would be a great loss for the organization, losing my top agent."

Shego seemed to think for a few more moments before she nodded and sat just a little warily – he had a point after all: why should he want to get rid of her? Besides, she had saved his dog, and she got the distinct feeling he wasn't going to forget that so easily, if ever; one more reason for him to think twice before doing anything drastic. "Okay," she said, shifting to sit a little more comfortably and folding her arms in an oddly _defensive_ gesture that completely escaped Gemini. "So, what is it you feel like sharing? Some tale about your childhood that your mother forgot to tell me about?" she teased a little.

Gemini immediately frowned. "Agent Alpha, that is none of your concer--" he trailed off as a sudden, terrifying thought suddenly hit him "wait – you _didn't_ tell anyone about the details of the whole…thing, did you?" he asked, menacingly narrowing his only eye, but it wasn't so hard to detect some worry in his voice. Fine, he didn't really care of what his agents thought of him… but there were some details they were still better off not knowing, or else they could stop fearing him as they did. The detail his mother still called him 'Shelly' from time to time was one of those.

Shego shrugged. "Of course not, who do you take me for?"

He gave a sigh of relief. "Good for you. Should you ever--"

"…I mean, why should I give information like that for free? Only an idiot would lose great blackmail material like that," Shego added, a smirk on her lips.

Gemini seemed to pale considerably at the thought before he recollected and scowled. His hand reached for a button on the desk – pressing it would result with the seat she was sitting onto rocketing upwards and into a hole on the ceiling, of course – and nearly snarled. "Agent Alpha, I'm _warning_ you…" he said threateningly. It would be a pity losing his best agent like that, but his reputation came first.

She rolled her eyes, holding up her hands. "Geez, boss, relax – I was just kidding," she said "I'm not that eager to let everyone know I ended up having tea and crumpets with you and your mother, you know. People could get weird ideas," she said. It occurred to her that the fact they had spent one night in the same suite – in separate rooms, but _still_ in the same suite – would give them even weirder ideas. What the heck, the guy in the hotel had assumed they were married or something…! She shifted a little, suddenly feeling oddly uncomfortable at the thought as she realized that even though she had been in such situations with Drakken already she had never even thought about the possibility anyone could get odd ideas.

It took a few moments for Gemini to realize what she meant with 'weird ideas'. "Ah," he said, clearing his throat "well, that would be… absolutely ridiculous, of course. It wouldn't be… well…"

"Professional?" Shego suggested, and Gemini immediately nodded.

"Exactly. It would be _far_ from professional," he agreed.

There was a brief silence. "Not to mention that the mere idea is simply ridiculous," Gemini added.

"Yeah."

"Absolutely laughable."

"Uh-hu."

Another silence.

"Sooo," Shego finally said after a few moments, trying to think of something to say – and it felt rather odd, because she rarely was left not knowing what to say "how's your dog doing?" she finally asked. Not that she cared, but it was still better than an awkward silence. What did that guy _want_ anyway?

Gemini's still grumpy expression immediately softened. "He's fine, mom… I mean, my mother says he's much more relaxed than usual with his mother and siblings," he said. He frowned slightly as he briefly thought that maybe he really was better off with them, but he quickly chased the thought. "He still recognizes my voice at the phone," he added with a proud smile as he remembered how enthusiastic his yapping had grown when he had heard him from the other side of the line.

"See? I told you he needed a vacation," she said with a grin as she recalled just how stubbornly he had refused to accept the idea of letting his dog stay away from the base and him at first.

"Maybe he did," Gemini admitted a little grudgingly "but it's not the same without Pepe."

"So I'm here because you're getting lon…I mean, bored, right?" she asked with a smirk – it looked like it was exactly as she had thought: not even the Big Boss enjoyed loneliness _that_ much. Then again, the idea she was there just to entertain him in place of that twitching mass of nerves of his dog irked her a little for some reason.

"It's not my fault if there's nothing going on," he said almost defensively.

"Have you tried watching TV?"

"There is nothing interesting."

"Reading?"

"I've already read everything I have here, including the helicopter instructions. Twice."

"Going to the gym? There is no one there right now," she suggested.

"I have a private one. Been there all morning already."

Fine, now she was starting to lose her patience. "What if I give you one of those nice books with lots of pictures you can have fun colouring?" she asked sarcastically, suddenly feeling a darn lot like a baby sitter dealing with a whiny, bored kid.

"Already do… agent Alpha!" Gemini barked, catching himself just in time "I already told you I'm _not_ going to tolerate that attitude of yours!"

Shego bit her tongue to not retort that for someone who didn't tolerate her attitude he liked keeping her around an awful lot and just shrugged. "Okay, okay, won't say that again. But really, if you really have nothing to do, why don't you get out or something?"

Gemini blinked. "Get out?" he repeated, as if she had just said he could take a nice stroll on the moon.

"Why not? You had no trouble to do so when we had to bring your dog to the vet and then at your mother's place."

"That was an emergency," he pointed out.

"Are you telling me you never get out of here unless there is an emergency or you have to see your mother?"

He snorted. "Of course not! There was that time…" he paused and frowned in thought "…well, there was that _other_ time…" he paused again, scratching his chin, then he snorted and glared at her. "I'm a very busy man, agent Alpha," he said, once again oddly defensively.

Shego raised an eyebrow. "Oh, sure. But you're not _that_ busy now, uh?"

"Uneventful days happen," he grumbled. It was true, of course: it wasn't the first time nothing happened for a while… but until that moment, with Pepe to keep him some company, he hadn't really minded. Now he was bored out of his mind.

"Then I hope we won't have another one anytime soon," Shego commented.

"I bet you're the only agent to think so. I'm sure the others are all too glad to slack all day," he muttered with a scowl "what were you doing?"

"Just reading one of those villain magazines – the gossip section is always fun to read," she glanced at him "by the way, you _don't_ read those magazines, do you?"

Gemini shook his head. "I happen to have better to do than wasting my time over those," he said in distaste "why?"

Shego barely managed to hold back a comment on how wasting time was exactly what he was doing right now. "Then I guess you have no idea you're kind of a star when it comes to the villain community gossip," she said with a snicker.

He blinked. "What? I barely have anything to do with any of them!"

"Exactly – that's why people began wondering. You wouldn't believe how much time they spend speculating over this or that villain who doesn't hang much with the others. They get curious and go hunting for gossip."

"Oh, good Lord," Gemini muttered, hitting his forehead with his hand "and what is it that they say?"

Shego grinned, knowing she would be the one to lead the conversation from that moment on. She got up from the seat – it made her rather nervous sitting there, truth to be told – and leant against his desk. It was something no agent would have dared to do – no agent but her was even allowed on the platform either, really – but Gemini didn't say anything as she began counting on her fingers. "Let's see…the first one is that you're actually a spy of GJ."

"WHAT?" Gemini shouted, his mechanical hand clenching in a fist and hitting the desk "how _dare_ they…!"

"Well, one would think you had to expect something like that to be suggested sooner or later. She _is_ your twin sister after all."

"She's my _little_ sister, and she's my _enemy_," he growled "if I find out who it was to even _suggest_…!"

"Boss, no need to get that worked up – it's just stupid gossip, no one really believes that. You have no idea of how many times I heard some gossip about me secretly working as a mole for my brothers... let alone after that mess with the Lowardians," she added with a grimace.

For some reason, the fact she had been rumoured to be working for her do-gooder siblings as well somewhat made him feel less furious and outraged. After all, she was right – it was just stupid gossip for lousy villains who couldn't get anything right. "I suppose you have a point," he said, resting his chin on his hand "what else is there?" he asked, sounding rather curious. Until that moment he had no idea there could be such rumours about him.

Shego frowned a little in thought. "What else? Oh, right – there are the ones who say you lost your eye and hand in a fight against your sister."

"Only the eye," he said with a shrug "but I was quick to return the favour."

"Well, I guess that makes the gossip about you being the reason why she lost hers true."

"It is," Gemini grinned broadly "I slashed her eye myself moments after she ruined mine."

"Ah," Shego shook her head a little, trying to ignore the fact the thought was a little disturbing – she doubted she would ever really harm her brothers…not so seriously anyway. It looked like Gemini's issues with his twin sister were much deep-rooted than hers with the rest of the former Team Go. She thought back of the picture of the two of them as teens she had seen in their mother's house – they looked everything like normal siblings there. When had they fallen apart like that? "What about the hand?" she finally asked to change subject.

"Is there another gossip about that too?" Gemini demanded to know. He seemed rather amused now.

"Some stuff about it being eaten by a shark after you fell in one of your own shark pools."

"Nope, not even close. I don't have a shark pool."

"I thought all villains are supposed to have one," she teased him a little, resting her elbows on the desk – it was so high that she didn't even have to bend forward to do so "Dr. Drakken had a few in a couple of lairs."

"I'm not 'all villains'. Besides, what would happen if Pepe fell in?" he looked honestly scared by the idea.

Go figure, Shego thought, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "The sharks wouldn't get much of a snack, I guess."

Gemini cringed at the thought. "Agent Alpha!" he protested, looking so horrified by the mere idea that he couldn't even sound angry.

"Don't stress out, boss. You don't have shark pools and your dog isn't even here," Shego pointed out before changing subject "how _did_ you lose your hand anyway?"

"An accident when I younger," Gemini said briefly, and it was clear he wasn't willing to dwell in the matter any longer "anything else?"

It took her just a moment to decide that telling him of the rumour about his dog actually being a very large rat wasn't a good idea. "I think I heard someone claiming you never really lost your eye and that you wear that eye patch just because your sister has one," she said "but you already said things went differently."

"Very differently, thank you so much," Gemini muttered darkly "what made them think _that_ anyway?"

"I think that one started when Dementor overheard you refusing a bionic eye Jack Hench was offering to you to a very low price during one of the few conventions you bothered showing up. He thought the only reason why you could refuse an offer like that was that you actually had both eyes."

Gemini snorted. "It's just because I'd rather keep a _reminder_ of what my sister did to me," he snarled "and that idiot should mind his own business – why is he always wearing that helmet, uh? Does he think it makes him look scarier or something, or there's something wrong with his face? I'd really like to know _that_!"

"No idea, boss – though there is a lot of gossip about that too," she smirked a little "interested?"

Gemini grinned back and reached to press a button twice, and after a few moments a panel on the desk opened to reveal two glasses of orange juice. He took one and handed the other to Shego. "_Very_ interested," he said, taking a sip of juice and leaning back against the seat.

So much for someone who didn't care about gossip, she thought with an inward smirk before she began telling the first of the numerous rumours surrounding Dementor's helmet. Well, she didn't just tell him those, of course: there were more than enough rumours and anecdotes about every single villain to keep talking for days. Gemini was quite amused by some anecdotes about her previous job with Drakken, and he laughed so hard that he almost choked on his juice when she told him about DNAmy's hopeless crush on Monkey Fist and her utterly embarrassing attempts to get him throughout past few years.

By the time she began telling him about the legends surrounding Killigan's kilt – specifically, whether the Scottish golfer did have underwear under it or not – she was literally sitting on his desk and he didn't seem to mind in the slightest.


	8. Getting closer

_A/N: wow, I managed to update quicker than I thought. The chapter even got so long that I had to cut a scene to keep it from getting uselessly long - I guess I'll put it in the next chapter or something. So yeah, here's the new chapter. You might understand some parts better if you've seen "Stop Team Go"._

_

* * *

_

Shego was in a rather good mood as she went in the pantry to get something to drink. Her headache was gone – which was rather unusual, considering that talking with Gemini was more likely to _give_ her headaches than to make her forget she had one – and thus she could spend a couple of hours in the gym and then another couple of hours in the sauna after she left the control room, and now she felt much more relaxed than she had been in weeks.

Well, she actually was a little hungry, but since it was way too early for dinner she supposed a cup yoghurt would have to do. She just hoped there would be some in the pantry – she had told Omega to get her some next time he ordered the supplies they needed – and that idiot better have not forgotten to, Shego mused as she opened the door that led to the lunch room and the pantry. There was already someone inside, one of the agents – agent Beta, judging from the letter on his uniform's chest – and it took her a moment to realize why something seemed off with him: he had taken off his goggles, which were now hanging around his neck, revealing a pair of aqua blue eyes that made his face seem a little boyish. He was sitting at a table and eating some sandwich with so much filling that it seemed about to explode.

"That thing must be half your whole weight," she muttered, mildly amused, and her amusement grew as the guy winced, dropped the sandwich back in the dish and scrambled to get his goggles on – Gemini was a tad fixated when it came to uniforms, and he didn't like it when his agents took them off in the base. Shego actually laughed when she saw Beta nearly panicking when the goggles got caught on some kind of coin necklace and he couldn't put them back on quickly. "Hey, relax. Unless you shoot death rays from your eyes or something, I won't freak out if you don't have those on," she said a little sarcastically, walking past him to get a cup of yoghurt and a spoon.

"Oh," Beta gave a sigh of relief "thank you."

"You're welcome. I've got better stuff to do than running to Gemini wailing because someone didn't have those stupid goggles on," she said, rolling her eyes, then she looked at him a little more closely as she sat with her yoghurt "aren't you the one who gave me the tour of the base the first day?" she asked.

"Yes, and I went with you on your first mission – agent Gamma, remember? I got promoted to Beta when you became agent Alpha. At first I thought Gemini had fired you when he told me I was the new agent Beta, really, and I couldn't picture why in the world he would do that since you had just led the mission to success," he admitted, giving her an admired look "it was great how you kept those GJ agents away, by the way. I'd have freaked out if I were to face them directly. I'm not one for fighting," he chuckled a little embarrassedly.

Yeah, Shego thought, he surely didn't look like a fighter: too thin, too little muscle, a little awkward with movements. Not to mention that with his goggles off he actually looked like an overgrown boy. "Well, then be glad that was my duty," she smirked, absentmindedly playing with the spoon "so, how did you end up here?" she asked. Not that she really cared, of course, but considering how little the agents spoke to each other about anything but missions and reports it couldn't hurt having something resembling a conversation with someone who wasn't Gemini for a change.

"I'm… well, I was a computer programmer, and I can do pretty much anything with a computer. Like getting the data we needed from that GJ computer, remember?" Shego nodded – she did remember how quickly he had gotten the data from that computer while she kept the GJ agents away – and he went on: "I lost my job a few months ago and Gemini needed a computer expert, so here I am."

Shego raised an eyebrow. "So this is the first time you get yourself involved with villainy?"

"Er… unless you count one time I stole candies as a kid only to be caught on the act and get the scolding of my life, yes," he chuckled.

"And you guys thought I was a newbie!" she grinned "you're one heck of a newbie compared to me, you know?"

Beta smiled a little sheepishly. "Yeah, guess so. I didn't think I would ever be involved with anything like this, really. But I couldn't find any other job, the pay is good and my mother's meds cost, so I seized the opportunity right away."

She nodded absentmindedly, not really being interested in some sob story about his ill mother, but thankfully he didn't dwell in the matter any longer and took another bite of his sandwich. "Want a bite?" he asked through the mouthful, clearly having decided she wouldn't fry him for talking after all.

Shego gave the sandwich a suspicious look. "What did you put in it?" she demanded to know.

"I'm not sure," Beta admitted, glancing at the sandwich in his hand as if he saw it for the first time "pretty much anything I could put my hands onto. I'm pretty sure there is some tomato. And mustard. I think there's chicken, and something that looks a lot like broccoli."

She wrinkled her nose. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass," she said, taking another spoonful of yoghurt "I told Gemini about the helicopter's engine, by the way. You can get a new one right away, but he says you should make it last unless you want the next one to be paid with the money he'll keep from your pay checks."

Beta gave a sigh of relief. "Well, I thought worse," he said before taking another bite of the sandwich "didn't he get angry?"

"Not really," Shego replied with a shrug he just grumbled a little, and after a while we were too busy talking about some random stuff and gossip. If those guys put half of the energy they put in spreading gossip about colleagues in their schemes to take over the world, they might even get something done," she said aloud, and amused smirk on her lips.

"Ah."

She frowned a little. "What does it mean, 'ah'?" she asked a tad defensively.

Beta recoiled. "Nothing! I mean… nothing important, I just--"

"You _what_?"

"Well, I was just a little surprised that you'd talk about that… stuff. He's been in an awful mood lately, and I certainly wouldn't try to talk with him about anything not related to the organization and unless it was strictly necessary."

"It's not like he bites, you know," Shego retorted, though a little amused by how nervous everyone was around Gemini and faintly wondering why in the world had Beta's 'ah' made her get that defensive. Maybe she was a little tired after gym, after all.

"Hey, it's easy for you. You're in much friendlier terms with him than any of us," he protested, only wince a little as she frowned again "I mean, you're… his top agent, right? And he trusts you, and he would think twice before disposing of you since you're so valuable to him-- I mean, to WEE. That's all. Heh," he gave a slightly nervous laugh.

"Yeah, that's all," Shego said a little forcefully, her eyes narrowed "I'm not in friendly terms with that stick-in-the-mud, thank you so much. Heck, not even his sister could stay in civil terms with him – I think his mom is the only person who can stand him," she said, then she smirked "you wouldn't believe how much of a mama's boy he is," she added, her lowering her voice.

Agent Beta nearly chocked on his sandwich. "Alpha!" he protested, looking a little scared as he glanced around as if to make sure Gemini wasn't standing behind him, but Shego was pretty sure he was trying to not grin "if he heard you…!"

Shego dismissively waved her hand. "Oh, you shouldn't worry about him when you're sitting in front of me," she smirked evilly, and Beta blinked.

"What…?"

"What, you don't believe me? Wanna see who you should fear the most? Be my guest."

"No, wait, I didn't mean--"

"Now, don't be shy and repeat aloud – Gemini is one heck of a stick-in-the-mood," she ordered threateningly, lifting her hand and lighting it up "say it!"

"Eep!" Beta cringed, looking everything like a guy who just realized to be stuck between a rock and a hard place, and Shego smirked before extinguishing the plasma, putting an end to her little act – amusing as it would have been watching him squirming a little more, she wanted to finish her cup of yoghurt.

"Got you scared?" she asked, taking a spoonful of yoghurt. It was fun having someone to taunt a little like she used to do with Dr. D after all: no matter how relatively more relaxed and less uptight Gemini seemed to have gotten around her, she still couldn't tease him like that. It felt nice getting back to old habits.

"Oh, man," Beta breathed, relaxing again "please, Alpha, _please_, don't do that again."

"If you stop calling me Alpha when we're not in front of the Mighty Boss, you've got yourself a deal," she said, still sounding rather amused "it gets tiring being called as a letter of the alphabet of some dumb dead language all the time. Name's Shego."

Beta chuckled. "Fine, we have a deal. I'm Adam Barry," he said, holding out his hand. Shego just raised an eyebrow, taking yet another spoonful of yoghurt, and Beta retreated his hand with a slightly embarrassed expression. "Er… yeah. Guess Beta is fine anyway."

"Yup, it works perfectly fine. Unless you got pretty tired to be called like a letter by everyone too."

"Well… kind of. Being address with just a rank is something I wasn't used to," he admitted "but we don't really know each other personally here, so having anyone using my name is out of question."

"Yeah, I noticed you're not exactly bowling buddies here," Shego muttered, finishing her yoghurt "okay, here's another deal – you promise me you'll never even _try_ to make any kind of snack for me," she glanced a little warily at his half eaten sandwich "and I'll call you Adam when Gemini or the other guys are not around – I've got a reputation after all. Deal?"

Beta chuckled. "Deal. It was nice talking to you," he added as she turned to leave, and he sounded rather honest – some people tended to get desperate for normal talks in a working place like that. Maybe it was the reason why talking with Gemini about random stuff and gossip had been so easy, Shego mused before briefly waving over her shoulder.

"Yeah, it wasn't too bad on this side either."

* * *

"You want to work on weekends as well?" Dr. Director repeated, clearly surprised as she glanced at the blue skinned man standing in front of her desk, wriggling his hands a little nervously.

"Uh… yes. I mean, there's a lot of work to do…"

"Isn't that a reason to _rest_ when you're not needed?"

"…and I don't want to fall behind…"

"From what the reports tell me, you're perfectly on schedule. Even a few steps ahead, really."

"…but I'm still not even halfway done with you-know-what…!"

"Mr. Lipsky, you know perfectly you can't progress much more with those until we get the chips you need, and those will take at least a week to be ready," Dr. Director reminded him "would you mind telling me the actual reason why you wish to spend your weekends working here rather than keep making up excuses and keep wasting my time and yours?"

"Not to mention mine," Will Du muttered, loud enough for only Drakken to hear him. Drakken gritted his teeth – just how much more time would he have to stand him? – before turning all his attention on Dr. Director again.

"Well, you see, I get a little… er…" he hesitated "bored during weekends, so--"

"Is that a way to say you've got nothing to do?" Will Du quipped in.

"Hey!"

"Agent Du, I think you might be needed in training room. Some junior agents are about to go through their first training course," Dr. Director said, looking somewhat bored – she had long since learned that the only way to make Drakken and agent Du stop squabbling was separating them – then she turned back to Drakken as Will Du nodded a little stiffly and left the room. "Go ahead, Mr. Lipsky."

"Uh, right. As I was saying, I get bored…" he paused as he saw Dr. Director raising an eyebrow and finally slumped his shoulders "alright, fine. I've got nothing to do during weekends," he admitted "when I was working to, you know…"

"Take over the world?"

Drakken gave a nervous laugh. "Yes, that. When I was working on a scheme, I'd work on it all week long, and I was _always_ working on some scheme, so… I'm not _used_ at having so much spare time!"

Dr. Director blinked. "And you can't find any other way to occupy it but working?"

"Nope. I tried to occupy it changing a few things in my house, modifying the lawnmower – hey, it's useful having a lawnmower that cuts grass by itself – building a new hovercraft and stuff like that, but it's not the same thing," he made a face – working on minor stuff like that didn't make him feel anywhere as inspired and fulfilled when he was working on some weapon or highly advanced and potentially dangerous device "look, what's the problem if I work on weekends too? I get to have fun, and I'm more efficient, and… I won't even ask for a raise or anything! Honest!"

"Well…" Dr. Director thoughtfully tapped her chin before she slowly nodded "I suppose it could be done. There are two conditions, though."

"What conditions?"

"Since agent Du is either off duty or out on missions on weekends, he won't be able to keep track of your actions those days."

"Didn't you say my trial period was almost over?" Drakken asked eagerly. He really, really looked forward to get rid of Will Du's presence.

"Yes, 'almost' being the key word," Dr. Director seemed a little amused "there isn't much time left, but I'd stick to the protocol until then. In any case, whenever you work here on Saturday or Sunday I want a detailed report of everything you did in the lab by the end of the workday. Signed by whatever head scientist who'll be in the lab with you – it will be your colleagues' duty to make sure everything is perfectly legit."

"Oh," he seemed a little disappointed, but he finally shrugged – it would be better than having to deal with that annoying Will Du guy "fine with me. What's the other condition?"

"Didn't you say you built a lawnmower that works by itself?"

"Er, yes – you select the parameters, it finds any patch of grass that is too tall and cuts it accordingly. Why?"

"Get me one of those, and you've got yourself a deal."

* * *

"Did you want to see me, boss?" Shego asked, walking into the room and stopping to look up at the elevated platform on which Gemini's desk was. For a moment she had been about to walk up the stairs, but she had stopped herself just in time: no matter how Gemini didn't really seem to mind if she did, technically agents were not allowed there and last thing she needed was having him rambling on how she was only allowed on the platform if he told her she could or some crap like that.

Gemini nodded, his gaze still fixed on what looked like an instructions book. "Yes, it's about your next mission," he said, gesturing for her to join him on the platform. Shego climbed up to see a small device resembling a large remote control – it was apparently the device whose instructions Gemini was reading.

"What's that, boss?"

"A device you should be quite familiar with," he replied, finally putting the instructions away and reaching to grab the device "remember the Attitudinator, agent Alpha?"

Shego made a face. "Sure I do, it turned the buffoon into one heck of a supervillain without any kind of idea of what 'priority scale' means – not that he knows that normally – and later it turned me into some goody-goody _teacher_," she made a face at the thought "yeah, I'm _very_ familiar with that and wish I wasn't. But that doesn't look like an Attitudinator," she added, glancing at the device. It resembled a remote control, and the Attitudinator she knew was shaped as a helmet.

"It's a new and improved version – a little courtesy from HenchCo," Gemini said with a grin as glanced at the device again "though they did take inspiration from some modifications Electronique – who you're surely familiar with – made when she used it on you and your brothers. Its ray hits people from a distance, which will be crucial for your next mission in Go City."

"Go City?" Shego repeated.

"Is that a problem?" Gemini asked, staring at her intently – he almost looked like he had expected her to react that way, but he didn't really seem to like it.

"Honestly, it's not my favourite place in the world to work into," she said. The last two times she had been there, once she had had to work with Kimmie to retrieve her brothers' powers and the other time she had been turned into some… sugary thing by that stupid attitudinator. She wasn't exactly dying to find out what _else_ could happen.

"I see. Does it have anything to do with your brothers?" his only eye narrowed.

Shego clenched her teeth. "_No_ – I went against them already, I can do it again. It's just business, and we're on opposite sides."

Gemini seemed to relax slightly. "Good to know that. So, may I ask what's the problem?"

"It's just… look, that place reminds me waaaay too much of when I was into that stupid Team Go thing, okay? It's not something I like to be reminded," she finally said with a shrug. For a moment he frowned and Shego expected him to get angry and remind her once again she was supposed to follow his orders, period. And he would be right, she mused with a grimace.

Still, Gemini stayed reasonably calm, which surprised her; she was pretty sure that had it been anyone else, a trapdoor would have been ended the discussion. "Agent Alpha, I think nobody in the base knows as well as I do how annoying being reminded of some… connections is," he said "still, I expect you to do the job I pay you to do without discussing. It might not be always pleasant, but business is business and I expect you to handle this like every other mission I gave you. Is that clear?"

"Crystal clear, boss," Shego said. He had a point after all – as she had told Drakken herself, it was just business – and besides she didn't like the idea that getting back in Go City and facing her brothers could affect her in any way. It _shouldn__'__t_ affect her in any way, she thought almost forcefully.

"Perfect," Gemini seemed pleased "now, our objective is rather simple: we're going to turn Electronique back to her evil self."

Shego blinked, slightly confused, then she remembered – the buffoon had used the Attitudinator on her before the police brought her away. "Wait a sec – they left her that way?" she asked, suddenly feeling an unusual pang of empathy for her old enemy.

"Precisely," Gemini nodded "and as if it wasn't enough, now she's working with Team Go," he added. He pressed a button to switch on the screen, and Shego frowned as she saw a picture showing Electronique holding down Aviarius. As someone who had experienced the effects of the Attitudinator, the idea they could take advantage of her mutated personality to make her fight crime made her uncomfortable.

"She makes a rather powerful addiction to Team Go," Gemini was going on "not to mention she was a valid member of the villain community. We can't let this pass by, which is why we're turning back to her normal self. Any question?"

"What's the plan? I go looking for her and zap her with the Attitudinator?"

Gemini shook his head. "No, that would be too dangerous."

"Hey, I can handle her!"

"Her and the rest of Team Go at once? I don't think so."

"I know I can," she retorted.

"It's still too dangerous," he snapped.

"Hey, all missions are dangerous! Last time you sent Phi this close to an unstable nuclear reactor to fix it, remember?"

"That was different!"

"Yeah, it was _more_ dangerous," she pointed out "since when do you care--"

"Don't question me, agent Alpha!" Gemini barked "you're going to follow my orders, period! If I say you won't go on that mission by yourself alone, then you won't!"

Shego drew in a deep breath, trying to hold back from igniting her hands and shooting some plasma at him. She had almost forgotten just how utterly infuriating he could get…! "Fine," she finally hissed "so, what's the plan?"

"You're going to have to get their attention," Gemini said. He pressed another button, and a map of Go City appeared on the screen "there is a bank there, you see? The one on the square in the middle of the city--"

"Yeah, I know that bank," Shego cut him off – she had spent years stopping any stupid robber who decided to play big "so I'm going to rob it or something?"

"Precisely. Or just assault it – anything that will catch their attention and make them rush over there. You don't need to fight them: simply keep them busy for a few minutes and try to bring them in the square in front of the bank. It's the perfect place for the jet to land – I'll hit Electronique with the Attitudinator's ray, you'll get in the jet and we'll leave immediately. It will be Electronique herself to spread some chaos in our behalf," he grinned a little at the thought, then he blinked as he realized she was staring at him as if he had just grown antlers "…what?" he asked, faintly wondering if he had something on his face.

"You said you're going to hit Electronique with the Attitudinator," she repeated "_you_. Since when do you actively participate to missions?"

"Well, I _do_ sometimes," he said a little sulkily "and I'm bored, and… wasn't it you who said I should get out more often?" he added oddly defensively as she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh."

"What does it mean, oh? Don't you think I can handle this?" he asked, his eye narrowing a little.

Shego shrugged. "Nope, I just said 'oh'," she said, still mildly surprised but a little curious to see Gemini taking part to a mission, then she changed subject "so, when are we going?"

"Tomorrow morning. I want Beta and Gamma to come with us and Delta to stay here and monitor the situation."

"I'll let them know," Shego said, turning to leave.

"And, agent Alpha?"

"Yes?"

Gemini hesitated. "Nothing," he finally said, turning his seat to that he would give her his back "you're dismissed."

* * *

"Do you see them?" Beta's voice came from her earpiece as she turned to leave the bank, shooting some more plasma at a wall as a warning so that nobody would try to do anything stupid while she was giving them her back.

"Nope, they're still not showing up," Shego replied, feeling a odd pang of annoyance as she stepped out of the bank, some sack filled with money over her shoulder. What the heck was wrong with her brothers? She had all the time to rob a bank, and they still hadn't showed up. Heck, at that rate the _police_ would be there before they could, and that could end u compromising the scheme. Just where in the world…!

"Stop right there, you fiend! Team Go is-- Shego! It's you! For a moment I thought you were a criminal – hey, guys, it's Shego!"

Shego nearly groaned as she turned to see Hego waving at her, a wide smile on his face. Was he ever going to get that she was _evil_? "Here they are," she murmured.

"Excellent," this time it was Gemini's voice to come from her earpiece "is Electronique with them?"

"I can't see her."

"Damn. Try to take as much time as you can."

"Sure," she muttered before turning her full attention back to her brothers.

"Hego, she _is_ the criminal," Mego was pointing out, apparently just as bored as she was with Hego's idiocy. How could anybody be that dense?

"Nonsense! She's just--" Hego trailed off as he noticed the sack she was carrying "wait, _you_ are the robber?"

"Well, _duh_," one of the Wegos muttered before waving at her "how are you doing?"

"Just fine, thanks. Been busy lately, but hey, one needs money to keep going," she shrugged, waving briefly back at the twins before glancing around – no sign of Electronique anywhere. Wasn't she supposed to be with them? "So, is this were you start with your speech on how I should totally get back fighting evil with you?" she asked, turning her attention to Hego again "not going to happen, thank you."

Hego suddenly looked everything like a kicked puppy. "But, She-she…!"

"And don't call me She-she!" she snapped, already exasperated with them.

"She-she?" Gemini's laugher came from her earpiece.

"Still better than _Shelly_," Shego hissed under her breath, not even caring if Gemini heard her.

"Hey, what are _you_ complaining about? He still calls me Me-me," Mego quipped in, making a face "it's sounds even more stupid."

"Sucks to be you," Shego said with a shrug "so, why don't you just bring it? Unlike you, I've got no time to lose."

"Agent Alpha, I had told you to take time!"

"Yeah, so that the police gets here in time to join the show," Shego said under her breath "if a fight doesn't make her come outside, nothing will."

There was a moment of silence, then Gemini spoke again. "Fine, you do have a point. Just be careful."

"I know how to handle them," she said briefly before turning back her attention to Hego, who was babbling something on how she still had a chance and would always be welcome of she changed her mind. She faked a yawn and threw some plasma at him, startling him just enough to kick him off balance and almost make him fall.

"Oh, _thank you_. I thought he'd never stop," Mego sighed before cracking his knuckles "so let's get to business. Ready?"

"You bet," Shego and the Wegos said at the same moment, and an instant later Shego had dropped the sack and was already leaping forward, shooting plasma in quick succession to any copy of themselves the Wegos could create. She rolled across the ground and tried to hit Mego with a roundhouse, but her brother shrank before he could and then grew back to normal size, trying to kick her knees from under her and make her fall. Shego anticipated his attempt just in time and jumped backwards, landed on her palms and sprang back on her feet, knocking out a few more Wego copies in the process.

"Well, you got a little better since last time – not enough, though," she smirked at Mego as she threw some blasts of plasma at him, forcing him to shrink again to avoid them. She raised both her hands to blast him again, but someone grabbed both her wrists before she could and flung her on the ground – Hego.

Shego cursed under her breath and cushioned the fall with her arms, using the momentum to roll across the ground and leap back on her feet. She ignited her hands again and turned to face her brothers again, the smirk back on her lips. "Oh, you _finally_ got it that you have to fight me, uh?" she sneered at Hego, who sighed.

"Look, you're my little sister and I really don't want to fight you, but you leave me no choice."

"Oh, good – looks like you're getting closer to get that I am ev--" Shego trailed off as she realized her brothers weren't looking at her anymore – they were looking at something behind her.

At _someone_ behind her.

Completely out of instinct, Shego leapt forward just enough to be narrowly missed by a small lighting that left a smoking hole on the stop where she was standing a moment before. "Electronique," she muttered, leaping again to avoid another small lighting "she's here."

"Perfect, we're getting there in a minute – hang on," Beta's voice answered before the communication was cut off.

"Yeah, it's easy for you to say," Shego muttered to no one in particular as she kept avoiding the bolts of electricity Electronique was firing at her – dang, she was even quicker than before, and her aim seemed to have improved.

"Nov, be a good girl and let me hit you," Electronique told her, her voice sickeningly sweet for someone who's trying to fry somebody else.

"Sure, just wait," Shego sneered. She lit up her plasma and was about to counter attack, but Mego choose that moment to shrink and grab her ankle, causing he to stumble, and Electronique was quick to seize the opportunity. Shego saw it coming and almost managed to roll away, but her opponent was quick and she could only let out a cry as the lighting hit her. There was some pain, thought not as much as she would have expected, and then an unbearable sense of heat before everything went black.

"Ow," one of the Wegos muttered.

"She'll be fine, she's had worse," Hego said as optimistcally as he could before turning to Electronique "well, that was a good shot."

"Vell, it vasn't zat special," Electronique said with a shrug "you really needed some help, poor darlings – it vas so mean of your sis--" she trailed off with a yelp as the loud rumbling of an engine filled the air, and moments later a large black jet was landing in the middle of the square.

Hego frowned as a door on the side of the vehicle opened to reveal someone they had met already. "Gemini," Hego exclaimed, his muscles tensing "what are you doing here?"

"I'm simply fixing some stuff," Gemini replied with a smirk "I hope you don't mind if I turn some things back the way they're supposed to be…" before anyone could react, he had pulled what looked like a large remote control from behind his back and pointed it to Electronique.

She tried to back away, but before she could Gemini turned on the Attitudinator and hit her with its ray, causing her to tumbled backwards. He grinned as he saw Electronique groggily sitting up on the ground and gestured for Gamma to follow him outside while Beta stayed inside the jet. "So, Electronique, how are feeling?" he asked.

"I…" the woman got back on her feet and blinked a few times before a scowl twisted her features and she turned to Team Go, whose members immediately took a step back "zey turned me good! Zey forced me to vork vit zem!" she shrieked, electricity crackling in her hands.

"Uh-oh…" one of the Wegos muttered.

"Yes, how horrible of them," Gemini agreed politely, gesturing for Gamma to bring Shego's still unconscious body on the jet "glad to have helped. But please, don't mind me and go ahead with your revenge on them. I'm just here to recollect my agent Alpha."

"You BET!" Electronique snarled, charging her hands before she turned her full attention on Team Go. Gemini turned away – as much as he would have loved to see the fight, he knew he better get back in the headquarters before GJ was on them – and walked back to the jet. He chuckled as the sound of the battle reached his ears a moment before the door closed behind him, then the scowled as he saw his agent dragging agent Alpha to the other side of the jet as if she were some kind of potato sack.

"Gamma! You better be careful with her!" he barked, causing him to cringe. Beta immediately stepped forward and helped him to gently rest her Shego's still unconscious body on the floor. "Go start the engine, we have to take off – are you sleeping?" Gemini snapped again, and the agents immediately rushed to do as he had told them. He allowed himself to smirk before he crouched next to Shego. "Agent Alpha?" he called out, reaching to grab her shoulder and shaking her slightly "can you hear me?"

"Hnnn…" Shego groaned before she opened her eyes, and she had to blink a couple of times before she put him on focus. "Hey there, boss. Am I still alive, or she fried you as well?"

Gemini couldn't hold back a chuckle. "Unless we ended up in some episode of Twilight Zone, we're both very much alive," he said, reaching to help her in a sitting position.

She made a face. "Heck, I hope not. Dr. D forced me to watch a bunch of episodes once, and I wished I could at least fall asleep at some point," she muttered, resting her back against the cool metal wall of the jet as it finally took off – her head was spinning a little and she didn't really feel like standing up yet.

"Hey, I grew up with that stuff!" Gemini said somewhat sulkily "what series did he make you watch?"

"The third one, I think," she said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes, and Gemini's scowl softened.

"Oh, now I get it. Any idiot knows the first two seasons are the only ones worth watching," he said with a shrug, sitting on the floor – his knees had begun protesting after the first few minutes or crouching.

"I'll let Dr. D know," Shego said flatly, faintly hoping he wouldn't decide to make her watch said seasons once they were back to the headquarters, then she blinked as she realized that the Mighty Boss was sitting on the floor next to her rather than on his seat "er, boss?"

"Yes?"

_What the hell are you doing on the floor?_

"What happened after I blacked out?" she asked instead.

Gemini grinned proudly. "I used the Attitudinator on Electronique just a moment later, returning her to her evil self. She was giving your brothers quite some trouble when we left," his grin widened "mission accomplished."

"Good," Shego said with a small smirk, not allowing herself to worry about her brothers – they could take care of themselves after all – then she cocked an eyebrow "so, no ejection seat for me?" she asked, knowing that if Gemini had any intention to dispose of her he would have already, probably without even getting through the trouble of getting her in the jet in the first place.

For once, Gemini seemed genuinely confused. "Uh?"

"Well, being knocked out cold wasn't exactly part of the plan, was it?"

Gemini scoffed. "That's irrelevant," he said "your duty was luring Electronique close enough for us to hit her with the Attitudinator's ray, and so you did. The mission was a success, period," he glared at her as if challenging her to say otherwise.

Shego held up her hands. "As you said, boss," she said, feeling just a tad smug at the thought that had there been any other agent in her place, he probably wouldn't have gotten through the trouble of getting them back unless wanting to dispose of them himself "so, did you like getting on the field for once?"

"It wasn't too bad," Gemini admitted, smirking a little "it was a nice break from routine."

"I take it you'll take part to missions more often?"

"Sometimes, maybe. To minor ones that don't need to be constantly monitored from the base," he said. Until not even half an hour before Shego could have been annoyed by the thought of having to deal with him directly on missions as well, but now she didn't really mind.

"Oh, and you can take the rest of the day off," he added, causing her to snap from her thoughts.

"Uh?"

"To recover," he explained "last thing I need is having this catching up with you on some mission."

"I recover quickly, you know."

"Still, better safe than sorry," he insisted stubbornly "it's Friday anyway. You've got three days to recover, and then I expect you to be fully operative again," he added somewhat harshly, and Shego suspected it was because he didn't want her to think he had gone soft.

She held up her hands. "Alright, I guess it can't hurt," she said. After all, it wasn't like she minded the thought of getting more time to relax. She supposed it wouldn't hurt allowing herself another weekend on the beach.

* * *

Drakken hesitated for a moment in front of the door or Dr. Director's office. There was some piece of paper she had to sign so that his stupid 'colleagues' would let him in the lab, but he wasn't that sure he wanted to disturb her. That morning there had been a lot of trouble in Go City – apparently Electronique had been turned back to evil by WEE, and Drakken wouldn't have been surprised to know Shego was involved – which had brought Dr. Director a lot of work to do… and a lot of paperwork on top.

He didn't really feel like gaining himself yet another of her glares by asking her to sign a piece of paper while she was so busy already, but he _did_ need her to sign it so he could work, so…! He sighed and listened carefully: from inside came some snorts, mutters that sounded a lot like she would have liked her brother to get some rather nasty diseases and the sound of shuffling paper. Fine, maybe it wasn't the right moment. Maybe he should wait a little and go drink some cocoa moo; maybe she'd be a little calmer when he got back and--

Drakken was snapped from his thoughts as the sound of shuffling papers suddenly stopped and a sudden wooden thud reached his ears. He blinked and waited for a few more seconds, but no other sound came from inside. He frowned and pressed the button on the interphone. "Er… Dr. Director? It's Drak… I mean, Lipsky. I, uh, need you to sign some paper, and… are you alright?"

"Do come in," Dr. Director's voice sounded somewhat muffled as it came from the interphone. As the door opened and Drakken stepped in, he could see the reason why her voice was muffled: she was pretty much sprawled on the desk, surrounded by paperwork, her head resting on the wooden surface. She didn't even turn to look at him.

"What is it you need?"

"Er… you have to sign this," he said quickly, holding out the sheet.

Dr. Director finally glanced up, and he noticed the slightly reddened skin where her forehead had hit the desk. "Oh, that," she muttered, reaching to take it from his hands. It took her a few moments to find her pen among the sheets and papers, then she signed it and handed it back to him "here. Bring it back to me once the others in the lab file it. I'm not going to move from here for a while anyway," she grimaced.

"Oh," Drakken hesitated, the sheet still in his hands, then his expression brightened. "How about some cocoa moo?"

"Excuse me?"

"Cocoa moo!" he exclaimed, looking ecstatic at the thought "it's great for moments like this. I just had to make myself some coca moo when a scheme went bad, and everything got better!"

Dr. Director sighed. "Mr. Lipsky, for the last time, we don't have any--"

"I know, I brought it from home," Drakken said quickly "I've got a thermos full of it. I could give you some, I'm sure it will help," he said.

She seemed to hesitate for a moment. She glanced in distaste at the paperwork on her desk, and then back to him. She finally sighed and put down her pen. "I guess it won't hurt trying."


	9. Awkwardness

_A/N: man, this chapter got way longer than I expected: so much longer than I had to cut the last scene, in fact. I guess I'll adjust it a little so that it can fit in the beginning of the next chapter – for now, I hope you'll enjoy this one._

_

* * *

_

"Hoochie-coochie, Pepe, Pepe…!"

Theresa Director rolled her eyes, and amused smirk on her lips as she watched her son cooing at his beloved chihuahua – who, on the other hand, seemed just as happy to see him… at least judging from the way it was yapping and trying to lick his face; she doubted it had ever been separated from Sheldon that much. "And then you complain when I call you Shelly," she pointed out as he finally managed to turn his attention away from his pet for more than two seconds straight.

"Of course, that nickname is embarrassing," Gemini protested before blowing a few kisses at his dog "oh, yes, of course daddy didn't forget to get you a new chew toy…!"

"Yes, because _this_ isn't," his mother said with a chuckle "how are things going?" she asked.

Gemini shrugged. "Fine," he said vaguely "still travelling a lot and stuff like that. I'm kind of busy."

She rolled her eyes. "My, who would have guessed," she chuckled "sometimes I wonder who's the busiest one between you and Betty."

Oh, great, Gemini thought with a grimace. She just had to bring up his sister now, uh? "Yeah, I hear from her sometimes," he said – that wasn't even a lie… kind of "she's got a lot of stuff to do."

"Yes, that what she tells me. But she still keeps shifting from my question on whether she met someone interesting or not," she said with a snicker, and Gemini felt a sudden and unusual pang of empathy for his sister: it was the same question she often asked to him… and if she had brought that up now, she was bound to ask him now as well.

_Well, that's great. Just about the last question I could want to reply to._

"And what about you?"

_She didn't even try to be subtle this time, uh?_

Gemini sighed, still keeping Pepe cradled in the crook of his arm. "Mom, I told you – I'm too busy to think about that," he said, hoping against hope that conversation could end quickly "I keep, uh… travelling and moving around a lot. Settling down would be impossible, unless I meet someone who doesn't mind staying alone for most of the time or being dragged around the globe."

"Well, it could be someone with a similar job," she pointed out, then she paused for a few moment before a grinning slyly "your colleague seems nice."

"Who, agen…er, Shego?" Gemini asked, absentmindedly scratching Pepe's ears and causing his pet to yap in appreciation "well, she's good at her job, and--" he trailed off as a sudden thought occurred to him. He turned to his mother, and he wasn't really surprised to see she was smirking. "…wait. Is there something you're trying to tell me?"

His mother chuckled. "I simply said she seems nice," she said with fake innocence "and you work together too, so I guess work wouldn't be a problem."

Gemini took a deep breath. "Mom, she's just a colleague. Ours is a strictly professional relationship," he said slowly, fervently hoping she would just drop it before the conversation took an even more embarrassing turn.

"My, no need to get so defensive – I was just saying she seems nice. What made you think I meant anything more?" she smirked.

"I _know_ you," Gemini grumbled "I know where you're getting at, and the answer is no, we're _nothing_ more than… colleagues."

"You still sound too defensive to be believable, Sheldon," she said with a shrug "it's not like I told you to marry her and give me grandchildren. Not that I wouldn't mind one or two," she pointed out, her smirk widening – she knew how he would to react at that idea "I was about your age when I had you and Betty."

Gemini nearly cringed at the thought. He, having children? Yeah, _right_ – that was so out of the world that it was downright laughable: the only thing that could make it even _more_ laughable was trying to picture agent Alpha as a mother. The whole conversation was starting to make him feel rather awkward – it suddenly felt even more awkward than the lectures about protected sex and birth control she had often given to him and Betty when they were teens… usually over dinner, which never failed to make them keep her eyes fixed on their dishes and start eating as quickly as they could so they could get away.

"Mom, we already discussed this!" he nearly whined "with my job, it wouldn't be a good idea…"

"Oh, no need to get so worked up – mind your blood pressure," Theresa Director snickered, giving him a pat on his back "I was just kidding, you know. I'm not that desperate for grandkids – raising you and Betty alone was more than enough to wear me out, so I don't really need more children around to give me the final blow," she joked.

Gemini gave a weak smile. "You make it sound kind of tragic."

His mother smiled and reached to ruffle his hair – an embarrassing habit she had never lost, but he didn't mind too much as long as there were no witnesses. "Tragic? Not at all – I just said it was tiring, not that it wasn't wonderful and rewarding," she said fondly "you have to admit you two were anything but easy to handle though."

He chuckled. "Can't argue with that," he admitted, petting Pepe again with a slight thoughtful frown. As much he was happy to see his pup again, he couldn't deny that he seemed to be doing much better there with his mother and siblings: he had recovered well and he was more relaxed, less jumpy… and he did look happier, he mused uncomfortably. Maybe agent Alpha had been right: he was better off there, and as much as he missed his presence in the base he had to think of what was best for him first… still, it was hard for him deciding to just leave him to his mother permanently.

Maybe he'd just leave him there a little more time before he decided, he thought while stroking his muzzle, and he was surprised to realize that the idea didn't make him feel quite as lonely as before. He faintly wondering where had agent Alpha gone to spend the weekend. A part of him was tempted to ask her on Monday, then again he doubted he could do that without having her thinking he cared, which he certainly did _not_, and--

"… still, your colleague _does_ seem nice…"

Oh, God, not _again_. "Mom!" Gemini protested, much to his mother's amusement – no matter how old he and Betty got, teasing them would always be among her favourite pastimes.

* * *

Commodore Puddle's temper definitely hadn't improved, Shego thought with a slight grimace as she got out of Drakken's home the same way she had gotten in – the window – and walked off the lane before she gave in to the temptation to fry that pain in the neck of a dog; it was still somewhat more tolerable than Gemini's neurotic chihuahua, but just barely.

His dog reduced to a large French fry was probably not something Dr. D would be happy to find once he got back home, Shego mused with a smirk, but it quickly vanished as she wondered where the heck could Drakken be. Since she had grown tired of beach pretty quickly – she usually loved it, but for some reason resting on the tanning bed all day and occasionally flirting with some overly muscled, overly tanned and brain-dead lifeguard just to see the look on their face when she ditched them just seemed boring that day – she had decided to pay another visit to Dr. D, maybe to taunt him a little over the headache the whole mess with Electronique had surely given to GJ… but much to her surprise, he wasn't home.

The possibility he could not be home hadn't even crossed her mind, because… just _because_, Shego thought with a small frown: Drakken wasn't the kind of guy who's got much stuff to do during the weekend, he had _never_ been. Maybe he had just gotten out to buy groceries or something and he'd be back soon.

_Buying groceries, Dr. D? He'd have them delivered here rather than dragging himself to a grocery store before noon on Saturday. Besides, you've been ringing his door for something like twenty minutes before you got in to check if he wasn't sick or something. Maybe he did find something to do during weekends after all._

"Maybe he went to some lousy scientific convention, or to pay a visit to his mom," Shego muttered to no one in particular as she walked back to the hovercraft she had left in Drakken's backyard.

_Or he's working on weekends. Or he's on a date._

The thought actually made her laugh. A date, Dr. D? Yeah, right. And hippos were flying happily in the bright blue sky, she thought. She was so amused by the mere idea that she didn't realize she had hadn't thought where she could go until she got on her hovercraft and started the engine. She hesitated for a few moments, then she shrugged and decided that maybe she could just get back in the base.

If she really couldn't think of anything she wanted to do, she could as well just get some rest. Besides, while reading a magazine on the beach she had gotten to read a rather amusing interview to Electronique, describing how she had given Team Go serious trouble and had taken down a bunch of policemen and a handful of GJ agents before she had been forced to retreat. Gemini was going to love it, Shego thought with a smirk, not even minding the detail that she was pretty much choosing a chat with her boss over a weekend on the beach or in some fancy hotel.

As she set the hovercraft on the stealth mode to avoid being spotted and while flew to the base, she couldn't help but wonder what he was doing now. Probably sulking in the control room while coming up with some other evil scheme, she decided: the chances he could be doing anything else were about as many as Dr. D had to really be on anything resembling a date.

Later that day, news reported several sightings of odd flying creatures that resembled terribly hippos with wings not very far from DNAmy's home.

* * *

"I want Lipsky to report in my office immediately," Dr. Director's voice resounded in the lab through the interphone "it's a code C-M."

"Of course, Dr. Director," the head scientist said before turning to Drakken with a perplexed look on his face "what _is_ code C-M?"

Drakken grinned a little. "It's on a need-to-know basis, and you don't need to know," he said, feeling rather smug for finally getting to be the one to say that after all the time he had heard it from that infuriating Will Du. He just couldn't wait to say that to _him_…!

The scientists could only exchange baffled looks as he dropped what he was working onto, went to fetch something that looked a lot like a thermos – but of course it wasn't, it had to be something else, possibly some device related to that mysterious 'code C-M' – and left the lab, humming something to himself.

Drakken ignored the curious looks he got from a few agents as he stopped in front of Dr. Director's office and pressed the button on the interphone. "Code C-M, Dr. Director."

"Do come in, Lipsky," was the reply he got as the door buzzed open. Drakken stepped in and lifted the object that looked like a thermos and that _was_, indeed, a thermos.

"Cocoa moo," he announced "I got the biggest thermos I had," he added, putting it on her desk, and Dr. Director was rather amused to see that the thermos was bigger than her head.

"I'd say it's more then enough," she said, pushing the paperwork aside with some satisfaction and reaching for some plastic glasses she had in a drawer. Drakken blinked as she handed one of the glasses to him. "Uh… I'm not dismissed?" he asked, unaware of the fact Dr. Director wouldn't drink one drop until she saw him drinking first; not that she really thought he would try to poison her or anything close – he was not _stupid_ – but better safe than sorry: that kind of precautions had saved her life a few times.

She raised an eyebrow. "You're not seriously expecting me to drink it all by myself, are you?"

Well, now that he took notice, that thermos was rather big – maybe too big for one person, he thought. "Er… okay," he said a little awkwardly, wondering if Dr. Director had thought he had brought her so much cocoa moo because he was planning to have some himself as well "I'll, uh… bring a smaller one next time," he added, sitting on the seat across her, his fingers fidgeting a little, feeling suddenly uneasy for some reason. He hadn't felt that uneasy at all when she had introduced her to cocoa moo the previous day, especially since she had loosened up a little and didn't look that imposing and professional and somewhat scary anymore. Maybe some cocoa moo would mellow her this time as well, it had already worked once…!

"You better, or I might end up giving in to the temptation and drink it all by myself next time," she said, and for a moment she could just picture herself with something like a hundred extra pounds sitting in her office the whole day drinking that stuff. She didn't know whether she should be amused or horrified by that thought, and she eventually settled for some mild amusement – she knew she'd never allow herself to get to that point, but that stuff really _was_ delicious and it was a serious challenge to her self-control.

"Oh," Drakken grinned a little sheepishly and reached to open the thermos, then he frowned a little as it didn't open. "Just a moment…" he muttered, holding the thermos under his arm and struggling to open it.

Dr. Director rested against the back of her seat and observed his vain struggle with a faint smirk on her lips. In her work she was usually surrounded by fairly competent men who certainly wouldn't have any kind of trouble opening a thermos, so she had to admit it was an amusing change from routine witnessing something like that. After five minutes it was getting harder and harder for her to not let the small smirk turn into an actual laugh.

"Nnng!" Drakken gritted his teeth as he tried again with all his strength, his blue face almost turning purple, then he sighed and slumped his shoulders, finally giving up. "I can't open it," he admitted a little embarrassedly "maybe I clamped the lid too tightly…"

"I see," despite her efforts, Dr. Director couldn't block out the amusement from her voice as she reached to take the thermos.

"It's stuck," Drakken said almost defensively "as if it's glued or something. There is no way to open it without--" a faint 'clack' made him trail off as Dr. Director effortlessly opened the lid. "…oh."

"Well, it was a little hard to open," she said somewhat encouragingly as she noticed he had frowned a little.

"Ah," he seemed somewhat relieved "really?"

"Do you want the truth?" she asked while pouring some cocoa moo in both glasses, a smirk still on her lips.

"No."

"Fine. Yes, it was really hard to open."

"Yeah, wasn't it?" Drakken agreed a little sheepishly, his frown disappearing as he reached for his glass of cocoa moo. He hesitated for a moment, then he raised his glass a little. "So, uh… to Gemini's… well… what was it you were wishing he would get yesterday?"

Dr. Director stared at him for a few moments, puzzled, then she had to bite the inside of her cheek to not start laughing. "Let's just say it's not a disease I'd want to talk about while about to drink cocoa," she pointed out.

"Ah," Drakken snorted a little, trying to not laugh "so, uh… to his demise, or something like that?" he tried again, though he wasn't sure he really wished that to happen – not as long as Shego worked for him anyway.

"That sounds better," she said before taking a sip. It was delicious, and it took her a few instants to realize that she hadn't waited to see him drinking first. She tensed slightly and glanced up at Drakken, but she immediately relaxed as he saw him emptying his glass before licking his lips in a childlike fashion. But of course – had she really thought he would slip poison in the cocoa? Obviously she hadn't… but she was still relieved to have that certainty confirmed.

"Another round?" Drakken asked as she finished her glass, already reaching for the thermos.

She was about to say it was enough, then she glanced down at the paperwork and grimaced. She wasn't one to avoid getting the work done, but she simply loathed filing that useless stuff and once Lipsky got back in the lab she could only resume filing it. And after all she was ahead on her schedule, so she supposed five more minutes – _just_ five more minutes – wouldn't hurt. Besides, that stuff was delicious.

"Why not?"

* * *

"What does it mean, he's not in the base?" Shego asked, frowning a little; she had been ready to bet he would be there working on some plan – what else could someone as devoid of any kind of social life as him be doing on Saturday after all? "Where is he?"

Beta shrugged. "I have no idea," he said as he pressed the button to make the hangar's ceiling close before it sank back into the mountain with the rest of the base "he just told us to get the helicopter ready and to contact him should anything happen, then he left."

"Oh."

"Do you need to contact him for any reason?" Beta asked, and had Shego turned to look at him she would have noticed a small smirk on his face.

Instead, she just shrugged. "No, not at all," she replied, sounding just a little colder. He was probably at his mother's place, she told herself. Sure, he was there to pay a visit to his mom and to his neurotic rat – where _else_ could he be? "Did he tell you when he'd get back?"

"No. I could let you know when he gets back if you need to--"

Shego snorted. "I told you I have nothing to tell him," she said, already forgetting how she had been about to tell him about that interview to Electronique she had read on the villain magazine – it wasn't like she was paid to entertain him after all, she thought in annoyance.

"Alright," Beta cleared his throat as they walked in the elevator to get to lower floors of the base "so I assumed you have other… reasons to be here on your weekend?" he asked. He stayed in the base to work on weekends at alternate weeks because he didn't mind a little extra, but as far as he knew Shego had never spent those days working unless on a mission or specifically asked to.

"I got bored with beach and wanted to rest, that's all," was the dry reply as the elevator stopped.

"Oh."

Shego – who had been about to walk down the hallway and to the sector where her room was – suddenly stopped in he tracks as she detected something slightly off in Beta's voice, something too close to _amusement_ for her tastes. She turned to look at him, and he wasn't quick enough to erase the fain smirk from his face. She narrowed her eyes. "What is it you find so funny, _Adam_?" she emphasized his name threateningly, though at the same time she folded her arms in an unconsciously defensive gesture that was highly unusual of her.

Beta paled a little, his eyes widening behind the goggles. "I… nothing, really," he said quickly, taking a few steps back "I was just… thinking of some stuff."

"Oh, really?" Shego almost purred, finally smirking a little at the anxiety in his voice "what kind of stuff?"

"Er… some stuff the other guys talk about sometimes," he swallowed "but it's nothing important, really. Just random chats and jokes to not get too bored, you know."

Shego gave him a rather scary smirk, casually lighting up her hand. "Well, now I _am_ bored," she pointed out "what kind of stuff do they talk about when you're bored?"

"I… I mean…" Beta seemed unable to tear his gaze from the plasma around her hand "it's the other guys who talk about it, really, I don't! I don't even care whether you and Gemini… well…"

"Me and Gemini _what_?" Shego urged him on, her eyes narrowing dangerously once more, an odd feeling at the pit of her stomach as she tried to guess a possible answer. Still, it couldn't be… no one would _think_… would they?

Beta swallowed. "Well, you seem to, uh… get along quite well. I mean, he doesn't get mad at you over anything, and listens to your advice, and you spend a lot of time talking, so some guys were…" he paused and looked at her almost pleadingly, but since she just kept staring at him he could just go ahead "mind you, it's just some random fun and no one really--"

"_Beta_."

"Fine, fine! Some guys are starting to wonder how much time is there left before you and Gemini, you know… hook up. They're starting to make bets, and some bet you already did – not me, I didn't bet on anything!" Beta quickly added, but Shego wasn't even being threatening anymore: she was just staring at him with a dumbstruck look on her face.

"They…. _what_?"

"It's just a joke anyway," Beta added quickly, omitting the detail he had bet fifty bucks that they'd hook up by the end of that month "just some stupid joke."

"Sure – a very _stupid_ one," Shego finally snorted, apparently recovering from the surprise, but she sounded a little too defensive to really pretend she believed it. She mentally cursed herself for suddenly feeling so uneasy: for some reason, she felt a lot more awkward at the thought than when those Lowardians had assumed there could be anything more than a professional relationship between her and Dr. D. She shook her head and glared at Beta again. "So you better tell them that they lost their bet, because there is _nothing_ going on between me and that--"

Whatever she was about to say next was cut off by the sound of the elevator's door buzzing open. Both her and Beta turned to see Gemini walking in with a somewhat thoughtful frown on his face. "Agent Beta, tell agent Kappa… agent Alpha?" he blinked in surprise as he saw her standing there, and he suddenly felt oddly uneasy as he was reminded of the fact his mother had pretty much told him they should date or something barely a couple of hours earlier "what are you doing here?"

Shego stared dumbly at him for a moment or two before she recollected. "I… wasn't feeling too well and decided to get back here to rest," she lied lamely.

"Ah."

"Eh."

There was a brief silence. Gemini shifted his weight from one leg to the other. Shego seemed suddenly very busy smoothing her hair. Beta just stood where he was wishing he were anywhere else on the globe.

"You should… go see a doctor or something," Gemini finally said "you could take Monday off too if you're not feeling well."

"There's no need, my head is just spinning a little. I'll be fine. I think I better lay down for a while," she immediately added, and Gemini nodded.

"Sure. You're dismissed," he said, completely forgetting the fact she was already off duty. Nor Shego did anything to remind him, for she just nodded and quickly walked down the hallway and around the corner.

"Uh… sir?" Beta finally dared to call out.

Gemini – who had completely forgotten his presence – recoiled. "What are you doing still here?" he barked "go tell Kappa to come in the control room to inform me of whatever report we got!"

As Beta nodded and rushed to do as he had been told Gemini sighed and walked to the control room, wishing his mother would lose her habit of giving him odd ideas that eventually resulted in more embarrassment than he could take.

* * *

"I'm truly sorry you won't be able to attend to tomorrow's convention, of course – no, obviously it won't be a problem," Jack Hench leant a little more comfortably on his seat as he listened to Señor Senior Sr. speaking on the other side of the line "I'll be glad to allow you a demonstration of the device you're interested into – you the client can't reach us, we reach for the client. I'm very busy this week, but I seem to recall out sales representative in Europe has some time left on Tuesday. Do you already have his number? Perfect. Oh, you're welcome – I hope the device will meet your expectations. Have a nice day."

Hench hung the phone with a satisfied sigh, as always when he knew an item was pretty much sold already. It had been a rather satisfying workday, he mused. Maybe he could consider getting back home a little earlier since the following day he would have plenty of work to do at the convention and--

The beeping sound signalling an incoming communication snapped him from his thoughts. He glanced at the name of the caller and sighed before reaching to press the button to accept the incoming call. "Is there any other clarification you need?" he asked, trying his best to not groan.

Gemini had called something like three times already to ask him the same thing over and over again, and if he knew him – and he _did_ know him well since they had been roommates in college before they even were business partners, Hench being the one who had given him the funds to create his organization – it certainly wasn't because he needed any kind of clarification. More likely, he was just bored… and as always when bored, he'd start childishly pestering other people as if expecting them to entertain him somehow. He had been like that throughout all their college years, and that was one thing that had never changed.

Gemini just shrugged. "I just want to know where the item will be delivered and when," he said, not even trying to come up with a more convincing lie. Fine, the truth was that he was bored – nothing relevant had happened in the past few days, and now he couldn't even tell agent Alpha to join him for some talk because… well, just because, he thought somewhat uncomfortably.

He didn't really want to admit to himself that he felt a little awkward at the thought, and he pretended to not have noticed how agent Alpha seemed a little warier than before in his presence: she spoke of nothing that wasn't related to missions and left as soon as she wasn't needed, not even cracking her usual jokes and taunts. Had anyone told him he'd miss her snarky attitude only a few days before, he would have laughed. Well, he didn't _really_ miss it, it was more… it was entertaining, that was all, he thought before Hench's reply snapped him from his thoughts.

Hench had finally thrown all his professionalism out of the window and was speaking slowly, as if talking to a rather dumb child. "Sheldon, this is the fourth time you call in a few hours about that one order – and I told you at least nine times that you'll have the device delivered to the usual place by Tuesday morning at most. What _else_ is there you need to know?"

Gemini couldn't help but smile a little, somewhat amused by the exasperation in Hench's voice. "…what's the usual place?" he asked innocently.

"Sheldon?"

"Yes?"

"I really hope you're not being serious. If you are, I swear to God I'm interrupting the communication. Screw clients policy," he told him. He would have never dreamed of actually saying that to any other client, of course, but he supposed he could take some liberties when you're speaking to an old friend whose evil organization was built thanks to his funds.

Gemini blinked – he had never seen Hench losing his patience, and he supposed it would be an amusing thing to witness. "Really?"

This time, Hench chuckled. "Of course not, but one would think you're trying to get me doing that," he said with a shrug "so, what's the matter?"

"Matter?"

"You called me four times in three hours in a half to ask me a lot of info about a purchase that you certainly knew at heart after the first call, so my guess is that you're either bored to death or want to annoy me just because. Not to mention it's usually your agent Beta to call – I like this one, by the way."

"Yes, he's good at what he does."

"Surely much better than the one you had last year. After a while I though he could only speak in grunts."

"That was not my best choice for a top agent, I'll give you that," Gemini admitted.

"Definitely. From what I heard, your current top agent is doing much better," Hench smirked a little smugly – he just _knew_ she would be a perfect agent for Gemini's organization as long as she could keep her attitude in check.

_Oh, awesome. Just about the last subject I'd like to talk about._

_And what's the problem with her, big boy?_

_There is no problem, I just…_

Gemini shook his head a little to chase away such thoughts. "Yes, she'd doing just fine," he finally said "she's a good element. I mean, a bad element. A good one if you aim for evil, if you get what I mean."

"I think I do," was the amused reply "in any case, you didn't reply to my question. What's the reason why you kept pestering me today?"

"I was bored."

Hench sighed. "I _knew_ you'd say that," he muttered, then he glanced at him through the screen more closely "isn't you dog there?"

"No, he's at mom's place. Recovering from surgery," Gemini replied, trying to not think that Pepe had actually recovered quite well and that he was still there because he was starting to think it would probably be better for his pet if he left him there permanently "I'm alone with my agents here – _that_ is why I'm bored."

_That, and the fact you're feeling too awkward to call for the only one whose company you happen to enjoy._

_I'm not feeling awkward, I just… well, it wouldn't seem so weird if mom didn't get dumb ideas._

_And these dumb ideas she got are affecting you this much because…?_

"I see. Why don't you attend to tomorrow's villain convention?" Hench was suggesting "it would be better than sitting there and boring yourself to death or annoying the heck out of people who happen to have something to do."

"There _is_ a convention tomorrow?"

"Well informed as always, I see."

"I've been busy."

"Didn't you just say you're bored?"

"I've been busy being bored."

Hench chuckled. "Whatever. I still think you could want to attend, if anything to do something different for once. Speaking of which, your agent Alpha might be interested in attending. When she went to a convention last time everyone was pretty suspicious of her – because of her temporary team-up with Team Possible during the Lowardian invasion, you see – but now that she's been working for you for a few months, most suspects should be gone. Attending to a convention with you would clear any lingering doubt."

Until a few days before the thought of attending to a villain convention with agent Alpha – especially after all the juicy info she had given him about the other villains – would have amused him, but now it made him oddly uncomfortable.

_And isn't it getting on your nerves how you keep feeling uneasy for no reason?_

Gemini frowned a little at the thought. Yes, it did get on his nerves: what was there he should be uneasy about? Nothing, that was it. That idiocy had to end there: there was nothing to be uneasy about because nothing was going on, no matter what his mother seemed to suggest about him and agent Alpha. Theirs was a strictly professional relationship, he told himself. Now that he thought about it that way, he felt stupid for boring himself to death by avoiding the only agent he could have a decent conversation with no real reason at all. Very stupid.

"I'll ask her if she feels like attending," he finally heard himself saying.

* * *

"Now I remember why I never attend to these convention," Gemini grumbled as Shego finally landed the helicopter on a free spot near the building "parking is always a pain. And just wait to see what a mess it will be when we have to leave."

It took her quite a lot of self-control to not roll her eyes. Ever since they had gotten on the helicopter – no need to take the jet for something like that, he had said – he had been grumbling and whining all the time over this or that. She faintly wondered why the heck had he decided to attend to that convention since he apparently didn't even like the idea. And why in the world had she asked he to attend with him anyway?

She had accepted because she was planning to do so in any case – it wouldn't hurt mending her reputation as a criminal a little more – and going with him would classify as extra work and thus gain her an extra in her pay check, but she was starting to think a handful of bucks weren't worth having to put up with him.

_Well, it isn't just a handful of bucks – it a big handful of bucks._

That was true, Shego admitted to herself. Not to mention that it was a good occasion to force herself to stop behaving like an idiot whenever she had to be anywhere near Gemini: it had made her feel incredibly awkward since when Beta had told her about that stupid bet of theirs a few days before, and it was simply ridiculous since she knew it made no sense. Gemini was more willing to tolerate her attitude than he was to tolerate any other agent's because she happened to be his best agent, that was all. Theirs was a strictly professional relationship, she thought again as they got off the helicopter and walked to the entrance.

A. Strictly. Professional. Relationship.

"Did the cat eat your tongue, agent Alpha?" came Gemini's dry voice. Shego gritted her teeth and turned to see him frowning a little.

"Last time I checked, no. Why?" she asked coldly.

"I asked you a question," he said somewhat accusingly, somehow annoyed by how she had kept quiet for the whole flight – it was so unlike her. She hadn't said anything unless he asked her some question, and even then she had barely uttered a few monosyllables – hack, she hadn't even said anything snarky when he had thrown up because of those stupid ascensional currents…!

"No, you didn't. You just stated that parking is a pain. It doesn't need a reply," she pointed out stiffly.

But you usually would have replied with something sarcastic, Gemini thought a little resentfully before he snorted. "Whatever," was all he said as they stepped into the hall of the hotel chosen for that convention. He gave a look around to see the usual bunch of lousy villains whose names nobody even knew busy with some idiotic contest for the best evil laugh. "Who _are_ they anyway?" he asked to no one in particular.

"Don't know, don't care," Shego said with a shrug, then she lightly elbowed his arm "hey, I think Hench is waving at you."

"Uh?" Gemini followed her gaze, and he smirked a little as he saw Jack Hench approaching. "Mr. Hench," he greeted him.

"Gemini," Hench gave him a small nod "I'm glad to see you here for once."

Gemini shrugged. "It wasn't easy finding some spare time in my schedule, but a change of air wouldn't hurt," he said with a small grin, and Hench raised an eyebrow the shameless and pretty useless lie before he turned to agent Alpha.

"Oh, I see you brought your top agent with you – from what I've heard, you make a quite valid addiction to WEE. I'm pretty sure everyone's attitude towards you will be quite different from last time's," he added, now talking to her directly.

"I bet," Shego said, grinning a little – she remembered all too well the suspicious glances she kept getting from everyone; in a way, she supposed she owed Hench one for getting her that job "I think I'll have a stroll around here just to look at their--"

"HEY, YOU!"

Shego trailed off, startled by Gemini's sudden roar. She turned to see him marching towards the one whose had apparently angered him – that someone being Dementor.

_Oh, crap. I shouldn't have told him about how Dementor spread that gossip about him having a functional eye under the eye patch._

"Vat do you _vant_?" Dementor protested, though taking a few steps back – Gemini was definitely bigger than he was, and he happened to have a missile-firing and quite dangerous mechanical hand. Without his henchmen, it wasn't like Dementor could put up a fight.

"Don't play dumb!" Gemini snorted "so, was it _you_ who kept claiming I faked the loss of my eye?"

At that point, any normal person would have frantically denied; too bad, megalomaniac mad professors whose ambition is taking over the wall simply don't fall in the 'normal people' category.

"Vell, vat if I _did_?" he yelled back, folding his arms in a display of what could be either a display of courage or suicidal madness "I heard you refusing a bionic eye zat vas almost for free! Vhy else vould you refuse zat, eh? Vhy don't you take that patch off to prove your eye is really missing?"

Gemini gritted his teeth, barely aware of the fact everyone in the hall was staring at them and not caring in the slightest: he had been feeling cranky for days for hell knew what reason, and now that he had an excuse to take it out on someone there was no stopping himself. "Why you little…! Why don't you take off that stupid helmet and let everyone see what the heck is wrong with your face?" he snarled, and Dementor could only yelp as he reached to grab his neck with his mechanical hand and forcefully tried to take off his helmet.

"Hey, vait! Vait! Someone stop zis madman!" he shrieked, struggling without much success to break free from Gemini's grasp. Even though some people seemed to sympathize for him – as far as they could tell he had done nothing to anger Gemini in the first place and after all gossip was an everyday thing in the villain community – nobody dared to do anything.

Shego groaned. "I should make him stop, uh?"

"Yes, you probably should," was Hench's slightly amused reply "possibly before he strangles him or decides to fire rockets in every direction. He still has a bone to pick with him for stepping on his dog's tail once."

"Oh, great," Shego groaned before she stepped forward and put a hand on Gemini's shoulder "hey, boss, how about letting go of his neck? He's turning red, and he looks even worse than in yellow. Are you sure you want to see his face anyway? I doubt it would be a pretty sigh," she pointed out, trying to think of something she could say to drag him well away from Dementor for at least a few minutes "how about getting in the cafeteria? I haven't had breakfast yet, and you threw up yours halfway through the flight."

Gemini blinked as he heard her speaking and paused for a moment to take a look at Dementor's face – or, at least, the part of his face he could see under the helmet. He grimaced a little. "Good point," he admitted, finally letting go of Dementor. The diminutive scientist fell on his back and began couching and sputtering, and the sight seemed to put Gemini on a slighter better mood. "Not so defiant now, eh?" he grinned down at him before he stepped past him, leaving him still trying to catch his breath "did you hear how he shrieked?"

"Yeah, people tend to do that when someone almost strangles them. And that was kind of a girlish shriek – maybe he's actually a woman and the helmet is to hide it," Shego said, smirking a little at the thought of Dementor the Drag Queen. It was clear she had found the little scene amusing after all, and the fact she was smirking and being a little more like her usual snarky self made Gemini's grin widen.

"I'll have some agents spreading that rumour in no time," he announced "and after that he won't feel like messing up with me!"

Shego chuckled at the thought of Dementor's reaction should he ever find _that_ written on the gossip section of the villain magazine. "Well, now that's _evil_, boss."

"I'm a bad, bad man," Gemini said somewhat smugly. He was about to add something else, but he was cut off by a merry shrill the moment they set foot in the cafeteria.

"Hi there, cutie! Where's your lovely puppy?"

"What…?" Shego blinked as she realized that it had been DNAmy to call out. She was sitting at a table only a few feet from them with a rather grumpy-looking Duff Killigan, and she waving at them. She was waving at _Gemini_, Shego was startled to realize. "Wait, _what_?" she asked, turning to glance at Gemini, and she was surprised to see he didn't seem to be bothered by the fact she had just called him 'cutie'… then again, maybe the fact she was probably the only person in the globe who would refer to his neurotic dog as a 'lovely puppy' did a lot to soften him.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Hall," Gemini said with a brief nod "my poor little Pepe couldn't be here – had to go through surgery, and he's still recovering."

"What? The poor thing! I hope he's doing better," Amy exclaimed, a worried frown on her face.

Gemini smiled a little. "He's doing quite well, yes," he said. It wasn't everyday someone asked him about his Pepe, let alone with such a concerned look on their face.

"Oh, I'm glad he's fine! I always get so worried when one of my babies is sick. Remember the cute puppy he always has with him, Duffy?" she asked, turning back to Killigan – who, on the other hand, seemed anything but pleased by the interruption.

Shego blinked. Duffy? She had just called him _Duffy_? Fine, she seemed to have pet names for everyone and their cat, but why wasn't Killigan even protesting? He did look rather unpleased, but it seemed to be mainly because of their presence, as if they had just interrupted…

_Oh. Ew!_

"Aye, I've seen that rat before," Killigan was grumbling, gaining himself a deadly glare for Gemini.

"Are you asking for trouble, _Duffy_?A fight could ruin your pretty skirt," he growled, causing the golfer to grit his teeth.

"It's a KILT!"

"Now, now, no need to yell," DNAmy chided Killigan, giving him a small pat on his arm before turning back to Gemini "why don't you sit down? There's still space here, and we could have chat--"

"We'd love to, but we've got stuff to do," Shego said quickly, grabbing Gemini's arm and pretty much starting to drag him away – she suddenly didn't feel hungry at all anymore, and the last thing she wanted was having to witness any part of what looked way too much like a date. Besides, she wasn't sure she liked it how friendly DNAmy was to her boss and how he didn't even seem to mind: last time her employer had teamed up with Amy, things had definitely not gone well. "See you around."

"See you!" she heard DNAmy's shrill before the door of the cafeteria closed behind them.

"What in the world…? Agent Alpha, what do you _think_ you're doing?" Gemini bellowed, yanking his arm free from her grasp after a few moments of confusion. It wasn't everyday someone grabbed his arm and dragged him along; actually, he couldn't remember last time anyone had _dared_.

Shego raised an eyebrow. "Boss, you did realize we interrupted a date, right?"

Gemini blinked. "We… what?" he turned back to the door, then he winced. "… ew."

"Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking."

"But didn't you tell me she was after Monkey Fist?"

"Well, maybe she realized she could do better than dating a piece of rock."

"And she chose herself a man in skirt."

"Hey, you must have noticed she's got weird tastes and a few loose screws."

"Good point."

There was a brief silence.

"In any case," Gemini spoke again "dating a… colleague is highly unprofessional."

"Yeah."

"I mean, who would take seriously two villains who _date_ each other? I'd never do that."

"Of course not," Shego cleared her throat and scanned her brain for something she could say to change subject "so, uh… how about taking a look around? Possibly avoiding matches made in hell and Dementor."

"Good idea. Since we got all the way here, I guess we could at least take a look before we get back home."

Shego blinked. "Before we get back… what?"

"To the base," Gemini quickly corrected himself, mentally kicking himself for that stupid slip "before we get back to the _base_. Anyway, we could… well, you've been to far more conventions than I have. You tell me."

"Well…" Shego frowned in thought for a few moments, the she grinned a little "there should be a few newbies showing off their weapons somewhere. I bet it's going to be worth watching – last time an acid-based weapon blew up and sprayed everyone with acid. There was a lot of screaming and running in circles before someone realized it was actually pea soup."

Gemini chuckled at the thought. "It sounds like something worth watching. Maybe we should fetch popcorn before we go?"

"Sure. And how about soda?"

"You just read my mind."


	10. Giving in

_A/N: fun fac – this chapter was supposed to be just the last scene to the previous one. Then the previous chapter got too long, I had to cut the last scene and said last scene turned out in a chapter on its own. Not that I'm surprised given my track record, but my utter incapability to plan out anything in a fic still scares me _XD

* * *

"… well, that was fun," Gemini's voice resounded in the helicopter after what felt like an eternity of silence.

Shego grimaced a little. Fine, she had to admit it hadn't been that bad seeing Motor Ed crashing against a wall, still she definitely liked it better when _she_ was the one to deliver the blow. "I could have gotten rid of him by myself, you know," she pointed out. She had actually been more than ready to blast him when he had spotted her at the convention and had tried to hit on her in his usual unpleasant way, but Gemini had been faster to hit him with one of his finger-missiles. Amusing as it had been at first, she couldn't help but feel somewhat annoyed by how Gemini had shot him the moment he had tried to grab her – she was perfectly capable to get him off her, so why the heck had he interfered?

Gemini scoffed. "Well, I wanted to shoot him myself," he said somewhat childishly, folding his arms on his chest "we were talking, and he interrupted us. I _don't like_ being interrupted, let alone by some idiot with a mullet who tries to get his hands on my top agent!"

"Yeah, and since it was _me_ he was bothering, I would have liked getting to blast him myself," Shego retorted a little more sharply than she had meant to. She couldn't really tell why Gemini's reaction annoyed her that much, it just _did_. Not that she really had any issue with him shooting people who interrupted his conversations, still…

_But he didn't shoot him for interrupting, did he? Hench interrupted you as well at some point and so did DNAmy in the cafeteria, and he certainly didn't shoot them. The only reason why he sent Motor Ed crashing against a wall because he was hitting on you._

Shego scowled and tried to chase away that simply ridiculous idea. "I could have taken care of him myself," she repeated, staring almost viciously at the control panel of the helicopter.

"Oh, really?" Gemini snapped "then why didn't you?"

"If you gave me just a _second_--"

"You had more than one second!"

"I barely had the time to _realize_ he had an arm around my shoulders before you shot him!"

"Odd, last time I checked your reflexes were quicker than that!"

Fine, that was enough. Shego snarled and set the automatic pilot so that she could turn to face him. "You know, unlike a certain someone I like thinking of some new line when I hit someone instead of using the same old one over and over and _over_," she snapped "I would have gotten him off me in a moment if you could just mind your own business!"

Gemini gritted his teeth. "You were _on duty_, agent Alpha!" he snapped "it was by business!"

"It's not like I was about to leave you there and get away with that idiot, you know!"

"Really? Then how come you keep complaining?" he retorted "I got him off you, didn't I? If you really _wanted_ to get him off you, you'd be glad I did!"

Shego blinked. Was he really thinking she could _want_ that idiot to hit on her? What the heck was he thinking? "Whoa, hold on there, _boss_," she snapped, sarcastically emphasizing the last word "I can't stand that idiot, in case you didn't notice!"

"Well, you seemed to be putting up with him just fine!" he shouted.

"_What_?" Shego's eyes narrowed dangerously "now listen here and listen close, boss – _I can't stand that guy_. But you know what else I can't stand? People who just can't mind their own business!" she shouted back, clenching her fists so tightly that it hurt and barely holding back form igniting her hands and doing something that would change drastically Gemini's facial features.

He seemed taken aback for just a moment before he scowled and retorted. "Agent Alpha, I suggest you to watch your tongue!" he barked "I'm your employer, and what happens to you while you're on duty _is_ my business!"

"Oh, yeah? It's not like I was _doing_ anything!"

"That's exactly the point, you didn't do anything! You should have--" he trailed off as Shego gave an exasperated groan.

"Why do you even _care_?" she snapped, straightening herself on the seat so that they would be on the same eye level – he was a little taller than she was.

Gemini opened his mouth to retort, but no words came out for a few moments. He stared at her for a few instants, just realizing how close they actually were at that point, how _green_ her eyes were and how beautiful and dangerous she looked when scowling in anger, then he realized he was supposed to retort somehow. "It's because… I _don't_ really…" he tried, his voice sounding suddenly oddly weak, but he seemed unable to come up with anything but some babbling – it was like his brain had just frozen, and he really couldn't think of any logical reason why Motor Ed's rather laughable attempt at hitting on her should infuriate him like it had.

Shego had expected him to shout again, so his sudden silence startled her. She stared at him for a few more moments, trying to figure out what was wrong with him, then she noticed how he was looking at her and realized what he had already noticed – they were leaning close, so close that their faces almost touched and definitely way _too_ close to feel comfortable.

They both snapped out of their trance in the same moment. Shego immediately pulled back and deactivated the automatic pilot so that she could concentrate on piloting the helicopter, and Gemini turned to glance with extreme interest at the clouds, his arms folded on his chest. There was a long, awkward silence, neither of them saying a word.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Gemini cleared his throat. "Anyway, I don't care," he said quietly, his gaze still fixed outside "you can deal with whatever idiot you want by yourself next time."

"Sure," Shego replied in a dull tone, and neither of them spoke again.

* * *

"Agent Beta, tell agent Rho he's the new agent Phi," Gemini's voice came from the interphone, and Beta had barely the time to reply with his usual 'yes, sir' before the communication was cut off. Beta sighed, faintly think it was a pity since Phi was a pretty decent guy, then he turned to agent Gamma.

"Go let him know," he said. He stayed silent for a few moments as Gamma rushed out of the room, then he turned to Shego. "He's… kind of nervous lately, uh?" he muttered.

Shego shrugged, not even glancing up from the magazine she was reading between brief looks to the security cams. "Who, Gamma?" she asked in a bored tone, pretending to not be getting who Beta was referring to. Maybe he'd give up on trying to talk about him if she looked bored enough, Shego thought before taking another look to the gossip section of the magazine, and for a brief moment she was almost amused to notice that apparently Gemini really had gotten someone to spread the rumour about Dementor being a drag queen, but then her gaze darkened as she recalled what had happened _after_ that convention. That stubborn idiot…!

"Er… no, I mean Gemini," Beta said a little nervously, his fingers fidgeting around some coin necklace he was supposed to keep under the uniform but was careless enough to pull out every now and then when he was nervous "I mean, he's disposing of agents very easily lately, isn't he?"

Shego snorted. "He's always like that."

"Well, yes, but lately it's even worse than usual. We're kind of wondering what--"

"Don't know, don't _care_," Shego suddenly snapped, glaring daggers at him and causing his mouth to promptly shut "why are you asking to _me_ anyway? It's not like I'm his babysitter."

"Fine, fine," Beta said quickly, holding up his hands in a somewhat defensive gesture "I was just asking…"

"Don't be asking," she said dryly, apparently turning her full attention to the magazine again, a scowl on her face as she kept staring at the same point on the page.

Well, Beta mused, it looked like Gemini wasn't the only one who was nervous after all. He seemed about to say something, but the frown on her face was enough to make him change his mind. He turned back to the console, and only a moment later Gemini's voice came from the interphone again, causing him to wince. "Agent Alpha to report," was all he said, somehow managing to sound even colder than usual.

Shego rolled her eyes and grimaced, looking anything but pleased, but she did get up, throwing the magazine aside. "Coming," was all she said through gritted teeth before stiffly walking out the room.

Beta turned to look at her retreating back, a thoughtful frown on his face. He had been pretty sure there was something more than a merely professional relationship going on between Gemini and agent Alpha for a while – so sure that he hadn't hesitated to bet fifty bucks that they're hook up by the end of that month. As the end of the month approached he wasn't _that_ sure he was going to win the bet anymore, but he was certain of two things: that there was a lot of tension between those two – just what kind of tension he couldn't really be sure – and that all that tension was getting so high that _something_ was undoubtedly going to happen.

* * *

"Did you want to see me, boss?" Shego asked a little stiffly, stepping inside the control room and glancing up at the elevated platform where Gemini's desk was. Just the previous week she wouldn't have hesitated to walk up the stairs so that they could speak without having to raise their voices, but now she's rather avoid getting too close to him, and he hadn't told her to approach either. Not that there was any particular reason, of course. They just wanted to… keep some distance, that was all.

"Indeed," Gemini replied, not even looking up at her – he seemed too busy looking at the monitor on his desk to turn to look at her for one moment, and Shego suddenly felt both relieved and oddly annoyed by that. "It's about your next mission."

Shego relaxed a little – if anything, that was familiar ground. "Sure. What is it about? More technology to steal? More people to turn evil? Just a 'let's spread chaos' thing?"

"A kidnapping," was Gemini's reply. He turned to press a button that would result with the picture and info he was viewing showing on the large screen behind him so that she could see it, then he frowned as the screen stayed blank. He tried to press the button a few more times, still with no result. "That thing broke again," he muttered with a scowl before he reached for another button. "Agent Beta?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Who's responsible for maintenance in the control room?"

"Agent Chi, sir."

"And where is he now?"

"Er… in sector five," Beta's voice replied after a few instants "do you wish me to tell him--"

"I'll deal with him myself," Gemini cut him off "wait half a minute and then let agent Psi know he's the new agent Chi. Also, contact that Bill Dooley in the backup recruits list: he should have the skills required to become our new agent assigned to general maintenance. Let him join as agent Omega and move the current Omega to the rank of Psi."

"Yes, sir."

"Good," Gemini said approvingly before interrupting the communication and reaching to press the button of the interphone in sector five "agent Psi to the interphone."

Only a few seconds later, a man's voice came from the other side. "Yes, si--" a scream abruptly cut off whatever was about to say as Gemini pressed yet another button before he gave a satisfied nod and turned his attention back to Shego… who, on the other hand, had been looking anywhere but in Gemini's direction while he was busy getting rid of yet another of his agents.

"As I was saying?"

"Something about a kidnapping," Shego reminded him.

"Oh, that's right," Gemini hesitated for a moment, then he finally gestured for her to join him on the platform – he didn't really feel comfortable at the thought, but he had to show her who the target was and give her all the info she needed.

Shego hesitated only for a moment, then she clenched her jaw and resolutely walked up the flight of stairs. She wouldn't let him intimidate her in any way! "So, who's the target?"

Gemini gestured the monitor on his console. "As you can see--" he paused and glanced up at her as if he had just realized that she couldn't look at the monitor since it was encased in the console and facing him while she was standing on the other side of the desk "… no, you can't see it. You should, er…" he cleared his throat "get behind the desk."

She hesitated for a fraction of second, then she just shrugged. "Okay," she said, but she was less at ease than she would have liked. Even when they were in good terms and discussing of all kinds of random staff, she had always stayed across his desk; it was like a boundary she had never crossed, and now the thought she'd be standing right _next_ to him in the control room felt weird. Still, she ignored the nagging sensation – a such closeness wouldn't have been an issue at all with Dr. D, so why should it be an issue with Gemini? He was her employer, _period_.

It wasn't like getting behind that stupid desk was going to change things, she told herself as she went to stand behind his seat so that she could look at the monitor from over his head. She didn't want to admit it, but despite all her attempts to think logically she still felt uncomfortable at the thought of being right next to him, and standing behind him instead somehow made her feel like she was in control.

For a moment Gemini considered telling her to move where he could see her since the thought of having someone who could melt metal with her plasma behind him wasn't exactly reassuring, then he decided against starting an argument. It wasn't like she would do anything against him – would she? – and he would rather avoid talking with her of anything that wasn't related to the organization, at least for time being.

He eventually just gestured to the monitor. "That's your target," he said "Sarah Renton. She's an expert in advanced cyber robotics, and she's been working on some top-secret projects that could be extremely useful to us. She'll be our guest just enough time for us to have a chat," he grinned a little "she lives in Middleton, but since everyone and their grandma knows Team Possible is attending college somewhere else and having a busy semester, I doubt they're going to show up. Especially if we act quickly and--"

"Renton?" Shego muttered, frowning a little as she tried to remember where she had heard that name already. She lived in the same town as Kimmie, so could it be she had met her one way or another? No, her face didn't tell her anything. Still, she was sure someone had mentioned that name at some point…

"Are you familiar with her?" Gemini asked, sounding a little confused. He turned to look up at her, and he grimaced a little as he realized how she was towering over him – he dislike having _anyone_ above him, let alone one of his agents! "Agent Alpha, if you have any kind of information on the target you better share it," he said, getting up from his seat and turning to face her. Not that he really thought it would be that relevant, but it was still an excuse to get up so that she wouldn't he be looking down at him anymore.

Shego frowned a little. "Hey, chill – I just said her name sounds familiar," she retorted "it could be a coincidence."

"But you did happen to be in Middleton more than once, and she happens to work for Kim Possible's father," he pointed out "it could not be a coincidence at all."

Shego's frown deepened as she kept thinking. "Well, I think there was a kid with that surname. A kid with a technologically advanced wheelchair, maybe?"

"Then it was her son you met," Gemini said – he remembered reading that she had a disabled son when collecting information about their target "he's off to college right now. How did you exactly meet him?" he asked. Maybe he could get more info on that boy as well so that they could kidnap him should they ever need to blackmail that woman.

"It's nothing special, boss, really," Shego shrugged, making a vague gesture with her hand "he had this robotic wheelchair that Motor Ed set his eyes onto, and Dr. D and I helped him to steal it."

"What?" he seemed taken aback, then he frowned "you didn't tell me you worked together!" he exclaimed, accusingly glaring at her.

Shego blinked. What the heck was wrong with him? "Hey, it's not like it was some big secret, he was my empl--" she trailed off as she realized it wasn't Drakken he was referring to. She had to hold back from groaning – she had made it darn clear just how much she disliked that idiot, so why in the world did he have to turn into a rabid dog just because she had _mentioned_ working with him once? "Wait a second, I had to work with him! Dr. D decided that he should team up with his stupid cousin and hello, I was his sidekick – I _had_ to play along!"

"You had to, sure," he snorted "I'm not _stupid_, agent Alpha! I knew you weren't trying hard enough to get him off you at the convention!" he barked, suddenly feeling irrationally furious.

Shego could just feel something in her mind snapping. Fine, she had had enough: that idiot had really crossed the line. She didn't know what enraged her the most – the fact he kept insinuating she could _like_ Motor Ed or the fact he was behaving like some jealous overgrown kid – but she knew that this time no amount of self control could keep her for yelling back at him.

"Oh, right, you're not stupid – you're just the _biggest idiot_ who ever walked on Earth! Who the hell do you think you _are_?" she shouted, not even trying to think of anything witty or sarcastic to say: she only wanted to scream at him just how utterly frustrating, childish and downright unpleasant she thought he was.

Gemini seemed startled for a brief instant before he gritted his teeth. He wouldn't be treated like that by one of his own agents! "I'm your leader to begin with!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs, his face reddening, his featured twisted in anger "watch your tongue, or else--!"

"My leader? You're more like a kid playing with toy soldiers just to piss of his sister!" Shego went on. She felt some kind of vicious relief by making him furious; it besides, it was better dealing with his wrath than with his stupid jealousy and the awkwardness that came from it. "You're just a spoiled, whiny, overgrown brat who can't let go of mommy's gown to save his life! No wonder your sister could mop the floor with you – I bet that unlike you she used those blasted four more minutes to get a _brain_! And you know what?" she sneered "the way you behave around that _rat_ you insist calling a dog is just pathetic!"

"ENOUGH!" Gemini shouted, too furious to articulate any kind of more complex answer, anger boiling in his chest. He didn't stop to think – he just turned to the console and reached for the button that would make a trapdoor open beneath her feet, but before he could press it a blast of plasma hit his shoulder, causing him to jerk and stumble backwards with a surprised yelp. He somehow managed to not fall and turned again to glare at agent Alpha, a furious scowl on his face – she was scowling as well, her hands raised, a threatening green glow surrounding them.

"Don't you even _try_," she hissed, her eyes narrowing. That idiot just had it coming, she told herself. He had no right to complain, let alone to try firing her! Nobody fired _her_, she was the one who quit if she felt like it – and she would do exactly what once she got to burn his stupid face off!

Gemini, on the other hand, didn't seem inclined to let her. "How dare you!" he barked, raising his mechanical hand to shoot some missiles from his fingertips, but she was faster and no missile hit her as she leapt forward. Gemini let out a gasp as her foot hit his stomach in a powerful kick and instinctively bent forward, and he was still gasping for breath as she grabbed his neck – he would later be thankful that her hands were no longer lit up – and slammed him against the wall behind him.

"Now see here, you--" she began, but she trailed off as she felt the jab of one of Gemini's metallic fingers against her chest, followed by a clicking noise – he was ready to fire a missile directly at her heart.

"Give me a good reason why I shouldn't shoot a hole through you," he said in a low, threatening growl.

_If he wanted to, he would have done it already._

Probably, Shego thought, still for a moment she felt almost scared before she scowled again. If she let him see he could scare her, she would give him an advantage. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't snap your neck," she retorted, raising her gaze to glare at him again, and she froze as she realized just how close their faces were: they were even closer than they had been in the helicopter, so close that she could feel his panting breath against her skin. It cost her some effort to ignore that thought, and apparently he wasn't having too much success to ignore it either, at least judging from the somewhat awkward look he gave as their gazed met for a brief moment before he forced the frown back on his face.

_Good, if he feels uneasy you have an advantage. Use it to get yourself out of this mess._

Shego hesitated for a moment, her mouth feeling oddly dry, her eyes still fixed on his face, then she let her grip around his neck slacken a little against her own judgement.

_What are you doing? What the hell are you doing? He could shoot you if you lower your guard!_

_I don't think he would._

_That's not a reason to take stupid risks!_

However, Shego wasn't listening to that part of her brain anymore. Gemini seemed to sense her hesitation, for he tried to recollect. "You… better let me go this very instant, agent Alpha," he said, trying to keep his voice steady and somehow threatening with rather little success "let me go now, and I might be generous enough to--" he trailed off as her grip on his neck tightened again just a little, as if to give him a warning. He shut his mouth, clenching his jaw tightly, and he could have sworn his heart had skipped a beat. He tried to tell himself it was just a normal reaction to a life-threatening danger, but he couldn't really pretend he couldn't see what the actual reason was.

_She's close, dammit. Too close._

"You know, I don't think you're in the right position to give orders. You'd be in deep trouble if I decided to light up my hands now," Shego whispered "my plasma can burn through _metal_. Just thought I'd let you know," she gave him a crooked smile, not really listening to _any_ part of her brain at the moment and not really wanting to.

"Well, that's… quite impressive," Gemini admitted, but an odd smirk was curling his lips as well after a few moments of confusion "you could kill me with pretty much no effort if I leave my guard down. But you wouldn't live more than an instant longer," he pressed his finger a little harder against her chest, still gazing at her face "not even if you act before I can shoot. You see, there is a bomb in this hand. Small, but very powerful… and it would reduce anything in a mile to _dust_ the very same moment my heartbeat stops, unless I deactivate it first. How about that?" he said somewhat smugly.

Shego had to admit it _was_ rather clever: and if it weren't enough to stop whoever could try to kill him, Gemini would at least take his killer with him… and anyone else in a mile, and rather spectacularly too. It was almost delightful in an evil way. "Well, now that is one effective life insurance," she said, then she dared to let go of his neck. Gemini didn't move, and she could have sworn the pressure of his missile finger against her chest had decreased and he certainly made no move to push her away. Her fingers trailed up the side of his face and reached to play with the rubber band that kept his eye patch in place – he tensed for a few instant, only to relax when he realized she wasn't going to take it off. "Still, you don't need to kill people to hurt them," she added, her voice lowering.

"Good point," he admitted, finally pulling his hand away from her chest and reaching to grab her wrist and pull her hand away from his face "but it would be the last thing you'd ever do. Hurting someone you can't kill is never a good idea."

"Ten drama points for you," she grinned, a shiver running down her spine as she realized just how _threatening_ he managed to sound. Not that it intimidated her, but it surely made things more… interesting "but I guess you'll be relieved to know I don't really feel like causing the loss of any other limb. For now."

"Most relieved, yes," Gemini said, their lips so close than they could almost touch, and Shego didn't exactly stop to think: she just tilted up her face to close the distance between them the same moment he brought his mouth down on hers, and for a while neither of them spoke.

* * *

That certainly wasn't his best workday ever, agent Epsilon mused as he nervously approached the control room. Everything had seemed to be going well until a few minutes before, really – it had been a rather uneventful day after all, at least in his sector – but now they got a report saying GJ had managed to seriously hinder some of their operations in China.

Since agent Alpha was already talking to him, so he and the other had sorted to decide who would have to deliver the bad news to their already moody boss… and he had been the _lucky_ one. Gemini didn't _usually _dispose of agents without a good reason – it would be rather hard to have _any_ agent left after only a week if he did – but now he was in such a bad mood that he was unpredictable, and he definitely tended to dispose of them _a lot_ more easily when GJ was involved in any way.

"I'll be lucky if he doesn't send my down some endless pit," he muttered to himself before he took a deep breath and finally stepped into the control room. He was about to clear his throat and start a little speech he had been trying to come up with and that he _hoped_ would save his butt, but whatever he had been thinking to say just left his mind at the sight in front of him… or, better yet, _above_ him, because Gemini was standing on the elevated platform where his desk was. Together with agent Alpha – no one but her was allowed to actually get on the platform Gemini's desk was onto. They were both there. And they were kissing.

Fine, that was it – he needed a vacation: it's never a good thing when you start hallucinating. Epsilon closed his eyes, shook his head and opened them again…but the scene didn't change: Gemini and agent Alpha were still standing on the platform and they were _still_ kissing, his hands holding her waist and her arms wrapped around his neck.

Kissing. Gemini and agent Alpha. _Kissing_.

For a moment agent Epsilon could have sworn he could _hear_ the sound of his brain shattering. He opened his mouth and then closed it a few times, but he was unable to make a sound – and, as what was left of his brain somehow managed to catch up, he realized two things: that he had just lost the bet since he had been certain that nothing could ever happen between those two, and that it was probably better for him that he couldn't speak since he didn't even want to know what would happen should Gemini spot him now. He tried to step back as silently as he could, hoping he could get out without neither of them noticing…

"Ouch!"

Fat chance. The poor guy stumbled in his own feet and fell backwards, letting out a yelp that caused Gemini and Shego to wince and immediately break apart. Shego took a step back, looking just a little embarrassed but overall amused by the interruption.

"Agent Epsilon! What _in the world_ are you doing here?" Gemini barked, apparently forgetting that it was perfectly normal for the poor agent to walk in the main room and that maybe he was the one who should have chosen a better place to start making out with what happened to be his top agent.

"I… uh… I…" agent Epsilon blabbered, struggling to get back on his feet "I had to tell you… you see… the reports from China…"

Gemini seemed to calm down. "Oh, I see," he said "well, don't just stand there on the doorway – get in and tell me," he said, and Shego could see the shadow of a smirk curling his lips as his mechanical hand reached behind his back for a button on his control panel.

Agent Epsilon seemed somewhat reassured, for he took a few steps forward while still avoiding to look at Shego. He cleared his throat, trying to sound calm and utterly failing at it. "Well, sir, one of our--" whatever ha was about to add turned into a shriek as a trapdoor suddenly opened beneath his feet.

Shego raised an eyebrow as the trapdoor closed again. "No witnesses, uh?"

"Of course – I can't have him telling everyone what he saw here," Gemini said nonchalantly before he pressed another button. "Agent Beta, tell agent Zeta he's the new agent Epsilon. Give him a new uniform and tell him to come over here to inform me of whatever report we got from China."

"Yes, sir."

Gemini nodded to himself, clearly satisfied, then he turned back to Shego. "So, uh…" he cleared his throat, the satisfaction quickly turning into uneasiness for both of them. Shego turned to the spot on the floor where poor Epsilon had been standing until a few moments before.

"I always wondered what happens to the guys who fall through those," she said, her brain looking for an excuse to change subject "is there a shark pool down there or something?"

"Of course not – I told you I have no shark pools. The first thing you learn by watching movies is that keeping vicious beasts in your lair is never a good idea: they could end up tasting _you_ sooner or later, and I think I already lost my fair share of limbs. No, they just get into a… special area of the lair."

"A dungeon?"

Gemini snorted. "That was my first idea, but it ended up being too crowded," he said with a frown "feeding the idiots down there was a problem, and if I didn't disposing of corpses could be an even bigger problem. The again, I couldn't just have dismissed agents walking around to tell everybody where my bases are or where I'm planning to strike next."

Shego raised an eyebrow. "Sound like a real brainer."

"Yes, it was," Gemini said with a shrug "but it was solved quickly enough. I got some memory-eraser stuff from HenchCo – that's what they get through after they get launched or fall into a trapdoor."

"You mean brainwashing?" Shego asked, somewhat impressed – messing up with people's minds was rather evil. Alright, Drakken had tried to do some stuff like that a few times, but it hadn't really worked… not to mention that he had tried it on _her_ as well, and it hadn't been as funny as watching it happening to someone else was.

"It's more like…getting rid of unnecessary information. When they're brought out of here to be dropped somewhere else, they think they spent the past few weeks or months or wherever in Congo to find themselves."

"Why Congo?"

"Why not? Tibet is overused."

"Okay, one for you. Do they _know_ this is how things work once they fall down the trapdoors?"

He shook his head. "Of course not – they wouldn't be as scared as they are if they knew," he grinned a little, then he frowned "now that I think about it, you shouldn't know it either," he pointed out.

Shego shrugged, somewhat amused by how he had apparently forgotten she was one of his agents after all. "Too late now. Does that mean there is a trapdoor for me too?" she asked a little tauntingly.

"There would be one for anyone else," he said somewhat sulkily – it was clear he didn't like it how easily he had revealed that secret to her. What the heck was he thinking anyway? "You're only not getting down one of those because… well… because you're the most capable out of my agents, and I still need your assistance," he finished, looking just a little uneasy.

She raised an eyebrow, suddenly annoyed by…by…well, just by _him_ for some reason. "Why, I'm flattered," she said somewhat coldly "I guess I'm lucky you're not going to use that memory eraser thing to mess up with my brain and delete these past few minutes. Why don't you just do that? It's not like it's anything important I need to remember."

Gemini blinked, a little taken aback as he realized she was telling him she wouldn't care if he erased the memory of those past few minutes from her mind. He frowned, as if taking it as a personal offence. "It didn't seem so bad that one would want to forget about it to me," he snapped, folding his arms a little defensively "and you were kind of enjoying yourself, if I'm not mistaking!"

"Uh?" it took Shego a few moments to realize he had misunderstood what she had said – he had assumed he was referring to the kiss rather than to the information he had given her about where trapdoors and rocket seats led. "Er… boss, I was referring to what you told me about the memory eraser and the agents thinking they went to Congo or something," she pointed out, feeling just a little uneasy.

Gemini stared at her as if she had just spoken in some foreign language for a few moments, then he glanced to the spot on the floor where the trapdoor – _one_ of the trapdoors – was. "Ah," he muttered, not really knowing what to say… and Shego seemed suddenly too busy smoothing her hair to say anything herself. There was a brief, awkward silence.

"Well…"

"Yeah, uh…"

Gemini cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could the door buzzed open to let in agent Zeta – or, more accurately, the new agent Epsilon. It was pretty clear that he had been given the first uniform they could find so he could rush to report immediately, for it was definitely too tight for him and clearly made him uncomfortable, which rather amused Shego. "I have the reports from China you requested, sir."

Gemini nodded. "Very well," he said before glancing sideways at Shego "agent Alpha, you are dismissed."

Shego nodded quickly as walked down the platform and to the door without saying anything, just grateful for the fact she had been spared a rather awkward moment.


	11. Won bet

_A/N: this was supposed to be a relatively short chapter, but it turned out to be the longest chapter in the fic yet – I really have no control over what I write, I guess. Good thing the next one if written out already. Now I'll just have to forbid myself to add anything. I'll probably fail, but I can still try _XD

* * *

"We're approaching the target. Make sure you're ready, guys – I'd like to be done with this quickly," Shego told the other agents – the handful of agents Gemini had insisted should come with her in a mission she could as well deal with by herself alone – as she glanced down to see Middleton beneath her. She made sure the jet was still on stealth mode and began the procedures to land on the roof of some building not too far from Dr. Renton's house.

It felt odd getting in Middleton while knowing she wouldn't meet Kim, and for a moment Shego felt a little nostalgic. She had expected her to take a break from saving the world during her first semester in college – especially since Drakken didn't come up with some new scheme to take over the world every week anymore – but she hadn't really expected to miss the challenge that fighting her was. It had been a while since last time she had fought anyone as challenging as Kimmie, she thought. Not that she had any chance to really get bored those months, but sometimes she felt like she could have kissed Motor Ed and still keep her lunch down if it could get her one decent opponent to fight. Well, maybe not Motor Ed, but still…

"Report your position, agent Alpha," Gemini's voice came form the console, snapping her from her thoughts. For a moment she was about to tell him to just look on the radar, then she realized that it wouldn't be of much use with the jet on stealth mode.

"We're landing on the roof of Smarty Mart," she replied, her voice a little colder than usual. They hadn't had a chance to be alone again after their… last encounter, and she didn't really knew how to behave – and neither did Gemini, she had noticed. They had both settled for behaving as if nothing had even happened until they either discussed about it or just forgot about it, and Shego wasn't sure if she should be relieved or annoyed. Maybe a mixture of both.

"Good," Gemini's voice came from the console again, once again impersonal and professional. Shego was glad he had chosen to only contact them by voice rather than actually switching on the screen – the less they had to see each other's face, the better it was for both of them… at least for now. "Do you remember the plan?"

"I leave Delta here with the jet and proceed to Dr. Renton's house without being spotted. We get in, knock her out and send Delta the signal to come recollect us all and bring us back to the base," she repeated flatly. Really, did he actually think she could forget a plan as simple as that one?

Gemini seemed satisfied, though his voice stayed pretty much devoid of any kind of emotion. "Excellent. We'll keep in contact with you."

"Okay."

"And, agent Alpha?"

"Yes?"

There was a moment of hesitation from Gemini's part before he finally spoke again. "Nothing. Good luck."

I don't need _luck_, Shego thought with a slight snort, unaware of the fact her lips had curled in a slight smile for just a moment without her even realizing it.

* * *

Dr. Director was rarely speechless.

Over the years she had spent working for Global Justice – almost two decades, first as a junior agent and then climbing all the ranks to the top – very few people had seen her unsettled, and only when she was a newbie, so pretty much all those people had retired years before. In the headquarters there was absolutely nobody who had ever seen Dr. Director more than slightly unfazed, let alone staring at something with her mouth hanging open and a rather disturbed look on her face… like she was doing now, while looking at Drakken's creations.

When he had announced the robots were ready after they had some cocoa, she had thought she knew what she would see. After all, every detail of the project had been carefully scrutinized by the best and most trustworthy scientists GJ had before it ended up on her desk for her to give the authorization to proceed, and she had read the report very carefully before doing so, as always. So she knew what the result would be: extremely advanced robots with a humanoid shape, quicker and stronger than any human and with a chip that would make them thinking robots capable to learn and switch strategies depending on the opponent's attacks – and, Dr. Director hadn't really been surprised to read, built with a league highly resistant to the high temperatures of plasma.

Basically, they were a new and improved version of the highly technological robots known as 'Bebes' that Drakken had built a few years earlier to get back some old college acquaintances. Dr. Director had been sure she knew everything she needed to know, and she hadn't even wondered what the robots would look like: it was such a minor detail that she hadn't asked… and as she kept staring at the still deactivated robots in the lab with her mouth hanging open, she regretted not doing so.

"I, er… I guess that maybe it wasn't a great idea, eh?" Drakken finally broke the silence, wriggling his hands a little nervously. Fine, maybe that hadn't been his most brilliant idea ever, but the thought of leaving the robots faceless was rather creepy and he really didn't feel like looking at anything that looked like old Bebes, so, well… come on, couldn't she stop _staring_? He was starting to feel awkward, and he had hoped he wouldn't feel that uneasy in her presence anymore after they had developed the habit of having some cocoa moo and talking about random stuff pretty much every day during some break.

The sound of his voice seemed to startle her, for she finally shook herself slightly and turned to look at him. "Mr. Lipsky," she said slowly, immensely thankful of the fact that none of the scientist who usually worked in the lab was currently there "may I inquire what exactly made you think _this_ would be a good idea?"

"Well…" Drakken hesitated, switching his gaze between the five robots and her a couple of times "no real reason, I just… they needed a face, and I thought it would fit. You are the head of GJ after all."

Dr. Director sighed. For a moment she had considering giving him one of her steely glares that usually made any agent pretty much shrink if front of her, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to reserve that treatment to Drakken… maybe because he looked nervous enough, she mused. "I still fail to see how would it 'fit' making the robots look like _me_," she muttered, focusing on him and avoiding to look at the robots again. Having to face five perfect robotic replicas of herself had been the creepiest thing she could recall happening to her in a long while for some reason. Why on Earth had he decided to do that?

"Because… er…" Drakken's fingers fidgeted a little before he finally frowned "hey, it's not like I made them look like Hannibal Lecter!" he finally protested.

"Maybe _that_ would have been more fitting," Dr. Director commented dryly.

"It would have been scary," Drakken pointed out "it's not like we have to keep them this way, they're just prototypes! I spent a lot of time building them all by myself, and there was no way I would have done that with some creepy face staring at me. I thought it wouldn't hurt if they were a little more pleasant to look at than-" he trailed off as he realized what he had just said and shut his mouth so abruptly that his teeth clicked together. He dared to shoot a glance at Dr. Director, and the dumbstruck look on her face was enough to make his brain get working to think of something else to say. _Fast_. "I mean, uh… I can still change the features after the test. Sure. I can give them a scary face. Or no face at all," he said quickly.

Dr. Director cleared her throat as she finally recollected. "That would probably be the best option," she said with a slight nod "the test will be tomorrow afternoon in the training room. If they pass it," she gestured at the robots without glancing at them "we'll get building more of them, and I don't want to see my face _anywhere_ but in a mirror. Is that perfectly clear?"

Drakken nodded. "Crystal clear."

"Good. If there isn't anything else-" Dr. Director began, but she was abruptly cut off by someone rushing in the lab – Will Du. Despite the fact those past few minutes alone with her had been rather awkward, Drakken still scowled as he saw him.

"Dr. Director, we managed to intercept a communication between WEE and a few of its members!" he said, immediately getting her full attention. Drakken could have felt somewhat annoyed by that if it wasn't for the fact that the news had caused a shiver to run down his spine – it looked like Shego could have to face the robots he had built earlier than he had thought, and he hadn't even had the time to warn her…!

"What kind of communication? Did you manage to track down the signal to their base?"

Will Du seemed about to reply, then he paused and blinked as he saw the robots standing behind Dr. Director and Drakken. He gave both of them a quizzical look, but he was quick to recollect as Dr. Director gave him an annoyed glare – last thing she needed was having to hear any kind of comment on how the robots looked like her, she mused. "Well, agent Du?"

"Negative, Dr. Director – the communication ended before we could locate the base. Still, we located the agents they were talking to. They're in Middleton, and according to the message they're there to kidnap Dr. Sarah Renton."

Drakken blinked, the name sounding oddly familiar. "Renton? Isn't she some robotics expert?"

Dr. Director nodded. "Exactly – and we can't allow Gemini's organization to get her. Agent Du, gather our best men – we're going to Middleton."

Will nodded slightly. "Are you going to lead us, Dr. Director?"

"Yes. Send someone to bring Dr. Renton somewhere safe before anyone can get there, and set up an electronic fence around Middleton to cut them off from WEE's headquarters – it will be easier for us if they can't call for reinforcements. Lispky, activate the robots," she added, turning to Drakken "as soon as they're activated, you and agent Du will take one of our jets and catch up with us in Middleton. You and the robots, obviously."

"Ah," Drakken bit his lower lip "but they still have to be tested, and-"

"_This_ will be the test," Dr. Director cut him off, her lips pulled in a tight line. She wasn't going to let her brother kidnap anyone, let alone someone from whom he could get dangerous information and knowledge.

"But-"

"That was an _order_, Lipsky," she pointed out, suddenly sounding a lot colder than she had been to him in weeks. Drakken sighed and dropped his shoulders.

"Fine," was all he said, turning to glance at the robots and faintly hoping Shego would know how to handle them.

* * *

"What does it _mean_, you can't contact them anymore?"

Beta seemed to shrink under Gemini's glare. "I'm trying my best, sir, really!" he stuttered "but I can't – it's like the signal just cannot reach them anymore."

Gemini's frown deepened and for a moment Beta was sure he would dispose of him, then he relaxed as his leader turned his attention to some other agents. "You!" he barked, causing all of them to wince and drop whatever they were doing to turn to him "Beta and Gamma will stay here – I want everyone else to get ready to take off for Middleton _ten minutes ago_!"

As everyone immediately rushed to do as they had been said, Gamma dared to speak. "Do you… think there's something wrong with the team we sent there, sir?"

"I hope not," Gemini replied, still scowling "but I don't like it at all that we can't contact them anymore."

"It could be a minor glitch," Beta said, thought he did look a little worried "there is a space centre in Middleton – it could have something to do with this."

"Could be, but I don't want to take risks. If we can't contact them, chances are that they won't be able to contact us either should they need backup," Gemini turned to walk out of the room, and Beta and Gamma exchanged a puzzled glance.

"Are you going too, sir?" Beta asked.

"Yes. If there is someone behind this setback, I have a good guess of who it could be," Gemini said with a grimace before he walked outside the room "and it would make this _personal_."

Gamma frowned as the door buzzed closed behind him. "GJ?" he asked, turning to Beta.

"Could be. I guess we can just cross our fingers now," he said with a sigh "and make sure nothing happens here while he's away – he might not be in his brightest mood ever when he gets back."

"Good point," Gamma muttered, making a face. There was a brief silence as they both kept monitoring whatever relevant could be happening around the globe, the beeping sound of machines and the sound of their fingers occasionally hitting the keys the only sounds in the room before Gamma spoke again. "Hey, remember the bet?" he asked with a grin "the month is almost over, and they _still_ haven't hooked up. Looks like I'm about to win, so get those fifty bucks ready."

"Not so fast, Sam," Beta said, elbowing him a little "there are still a few days left, and anything could happen."

Gamma chuckled. "You wish."

* * *

"Fine, here we are," Shego said quietly as they glanced at the house where Dr. Sarah Renton lived "now you stay here and don't move, okay?"

"But shouldn't we…?"

"You should just stay here and _don't move_," Shego snapped, causing agent Zeta to wince "you'd only make it more complicated, so let me handle it, okay? I get in from the window, knock her out and open the door for you to get in while we wait for Delta to come and recollect us. Full responsibility on me, no risk for you to be fired should anything go wrong. How about that?"

Well, now that sounded like a deal. "Fine," Eta finally said "so we just-"

"Freeze!"

Shego cursed under her breath as she turned to see the man who had just spoken – a man wearing a GJ uniform. And he wasn't alone: there were several other GJ agents surrounding them, all of them apparently ready to press a button on their watches any second, and Shego had no intention to give them enough time to do so and find out what would happen the hard way. "You wish," she snarled, lighting up her hands and shooting a few blasts of plasma in quick succession, knocking down a few of them and giving the other WEE agents a few moments to finally recollect and attack.

They were outnumbered, Shego noticed… still, she was more then enough to take down at least half of those idiots. She ducked under the electrodes several GJ agents shot from their watches to her – a couple of them accidentally hit each other as she dropped on the ground – and leapt on the closest agent, drop kicking him before bouncing on another one and flipping him on the ground in one smooth motion.

"C'mon, guys, I bet you can do better," Shego grinned as she dodged a blow and sent another agent tumbling on the ground with a blast of plasma. Another couple of agents tried to leap on her only to bite the dust moments later. She was about to taunt them a little, then she caught a movement in the corner of her eye and turned to attack, but her opponent was quicker; before Shego could even realize what was going on she grabber both her wrists firmly and dropped on her back, dragging her on the ground as well.

Shego couldn't hold back a groan as boots hit her stomach, stopping her fall for one instant before Dr. Director flung her off with powerful push of her legs, causing her to tumble on the ground. Her stomach still aching where she had hit her, Shego could barely cushion her fall with her hands before she leapt on her feet again and turned to her opponent. It was only then that she noticed that it was a woman and that there was something familiar in her looks – the brown hair, the steely glare and, of course, the eye patch.

"I'll deal with her – take down the others," she was ordering her agents, her gaze fixed on her.

"Let me guess," Shego hid her surprise with a smirk as she lit up her hands again "you're the little sister, uh?"

"And you're my brother's agent Alpha, I suppose," was Dr. Director's retort as she dropped back in a fighting stance, mildly impressed to see her still standing – most people she performed that trick onto would pass out or be unable to get up for a while. It looked like she was going to be a much harder nut to crack than 'most people', but she had kind of expected that after all. "While it is a nuisance to me, it was about time Gemini got _one_ competent agent."

"Well, thanks. You're not half bad yourself," Shego smirked a little before she leapt forward and slashed the air with her plasma-lit hands, forcing her to step back to dodge "but you've got to do better to beat me."

"With pleasure," Dr. Director retorted, ducking under a blow. She dropped on the ground and spun, trying to trip her, but her opponent jumped just in time. Shego tried to drop kick her, but Dr. Director reached out to block her leg and flung her on the ground once more. This time, however, Shego was more prepared and flipped in mid air to land on her feet facing her. She lunged forward to hit her, her hands still lit up, but Dr. Director managed to block each blow without betting burnt and apparently without breaking a sweat.

"Well, you still have to do better against me, but you _are_ a better fighter than your brother is," Shego finally conceded as Dr. Director blocked her high kick – not that it took much to be a better fighter than Gemini since he seemed to be only able to fire missiles, but still "I almost believed him when he said you're clumsy."

"Oh, so _that's_ what he said?" Dr. Director snorted, back flipping to avoid her blow and kicking her hand aside before landing on her feet again.

"Yeah. Usually when talking about some accident involving ketchup and his favourite t-shirt. What was up with that t-shirt for him to make such a fuss about it anyway?" Shego asked, crossing her arms on front of her chest to block her kick.

This time, Dr. Director actually growled. "Nothing was up with that t-shirt! It was some stupid cheap t-shirt like lots of others, but it suddenly turned into his favourite one _after_ I let a darn drop of ketchup fall on it."

Well, Shego couldn't really say she was surprised. "Guess it shouldn't surprise me," she muttered, ducking under her blow – concentrated as she was on that fight and the conversation they were having, she didn't even bother to look around to see how the other agents were doing against the GJ guys "from what he said, it sounded like you just took that t-shirt and dipped it in ketchup. He whines a lot about it."

"Tell me something I don't know," Dr. Director replied with what could have been an exasperated sigh if she weren't in the middle of a battle "he whines all the time about anything. I bet he also told you that I got better toys."

"You bet he did," Shego smirked a little as she recalled the scowl on his face any time he complained about it "that, and that you always got the upper bunk of the bed. And that you were always getting all the attention, that you thought you were better than him, that you wouldn't treat him like an older brother and…" she paused, both because she was trying to recall something else and because she had to block another blow after an unsuccessful attempt to attack Dr. Director from her blind side "… oh, wait, and he also complains all the time because you kept a light on at night until you turned ten," she finished a little tauntingly. Badmouthing Gemini with his sister while fighting her was rather fun, but getting to also sneak in some taunts directed at her made it even better.

"It was just a small light, and I stopped keeping it on when we were seven," Dr. Director protested with a scowl, ducking under her plasma lit punch just in time "and it was so weak that it couldn't bother anyone – he just likes to _whine_."

"Yeah, I did notice it's kind of his favourite pastime when he's not sending people down trapdoors or up some hole with rocket seats," Shego muttered, looking like she would have shrugged if she weren't busy in a fight "but really, a light on at night? Afraid of the dark?"

"Why don't you ask him until what age he had to wear diapers at night?" Dr. Director retorted "I bet he didn't tell you _that_!"

"Actually, he didn't," Shego smirked "so spit it out."

On her part, Dr. Director seemed all too happy to further embarrass her brother. "We were _eight_ when our mother got it in his thick head that he was getting too old to wear diapers," she informed her, grinning a little herself as she managed to corner her and tried to pin her against a wall of the house "and the first nights without it, he wet his mattress."

"What?" Shego laughed while pushing Dr. Director back and attacking again "and here I thought I had enough mocking material when I heard your mother calling him Shelly! He'll never hear the end of this!"

Dr. Director blinked. "Are you telling me you can mock him and get away with it?" she asked, sounding rather incredulous as she sidestepped her high kick.

For a moment Shego wondered what she would think if she really knew just how far from professional his relationship with Gemini had turned out to be, but she didn't say anything about that – not only it could give her a weapon to use against her, but it was also something she didn't really feel like thinking about… mainly because she didn't really know herself what she should think of their relationship right now. "Hey, as you said, I'm his best agent," she finally said "I get some privileges."

Her opponent seemed quite amused by that thought. "I think we better stop talking and just keep fighting," she told her, trying to hit her with a vicious roundhouse that Shego blocked "or else I might give in to the temptation to let you get away so that you can annoy the hell out of him on my behalf."

"That would sound like a deal if I didn't know you just can't beat me."

"You could be surprised," Dr. Director retorted, getting ready to strike again, then she blinked as she noticed something was off – it seemed to be slightly darker, as if some cloud had just covered the sun. Instinct kicked in and made her leap backwards just an instant before a small missile exploded on the spot she had been standing only an instant before. She scowled and glanced up. "Gemini," she hissed, her eye narrowing.

"Uh?" Shego glanced up as well to see a WEE jet hovering above their head. A few agents were coming down to the ground my sliding down some ropes to give support to the others in their struggle against GJ agents, but Shego barely took noticed of them – she was too surprised to see Gemini standing through the open roof of the jet, his mechanical hand still pointed against his sister. Hadn't he said he would only take part to _minor_ missions?

_Maybe he couldn't resist taking over this one after knowing his sister would be in the picture._

Shego frowned a little, faintly wondering how could he know she would be there. Could it be that he knew it in advance and had used her and the others as some kind of bait? Even though she knew that it probably wouldn't be above him and that it shouldn't really surprise her if the leader of a criminal organization used his own agents as a bait, the thought still infuriated her for some reason. If it turned out that he had used them to attract GJ without even telling her, she would kick his butt to no end once they were back to the base.

"You just can't stay at your place, eh, Betty?" Gemini sneered "looks like I have to remind you again how baby sisters are supposed to behave around their older-"

"Oh, cut the crap!" Dr. Director yelled, crossing her arms over her chest, apparently oblivious of the fight still going on between her own agents and her brother's. Heck, she seemed to have completely forgotten Shego's presence as well, and for a moment Shego toyed with the idea of knocking her out before dismissing it – witnessing their argument would be funnier, she decided. Not to mention that she was kind of curious to see what their banters were really like and that she suspected Gemini might not appreciate it at all if anyone but him actually defeated his sister.

Gemini's scowl deepened at his sister's retort. "You don't get to yell at me!" he protested "I'm your older brother!"

"By four minutes!"

"So what? I _am_ your older brother, and I deserve to be treated as such! "

Dr. Director scoffed. "You don't deserve anything like that from me, _Sheldon_!"

"I do!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too infinity!"

"That doesn't count!"

"It does!"

"Does not!"

"Nyah nyah nyah!"

… fine, maybe she had witnessed enough, Shego thought, and it was so stupid that it wasn't even funny; it made her feel like groaning – it was even worse than she had expected. "Uh… you two? Excuse me?" she called out, waving her hands a little, but both sibling seemed way too busy yelling at each other to notice her.

"… and anyway, it was you who started it!" Dr. Director was yelling "you printed copies of my diary and attached them on the board at school! Remember _that_?"

"Well, you deserved it! You had flooded the bathroom and claimed it had been my fault!"

"Because it _was_ your fault!"

"Was not!"

Shego sighed. "Look, I don't want to interrupt your trip down Memory Lane, but-"

"And what about that time you used my shirt to clean up when your dog peed on the kitchen floor?" Dr. Director was still rambling, clenching her fists as if she wished she could hit her brother – still, neither of them was making any move to get closer: they were just standing still, Dr. Director on the ground and Gemini on the jet, and just kept yelling at each other completely ignoring anything that was going on around them. "And you didn't even put it in the washing machine later – you just _hid_ it, and it was ruined for good when I found it!"

"So what? You had it coming for ruining my favourite t-shirt!" Gemini snapped back.

"It was an accident, and that wasn't your favourite t-shirt anyway! It was just some random-" she was suddenly cut off by one of her agents' cry.

"Reinforcements are here!"

Both Gemini and Dr. Director abruptly stopped bantering and turned to see another GJ hovering above them. Shego glanced up as well, and her surprised expression turned into an amused one when the roof of the jet opened to reveal some GJ agent that couldn't be much older than Kimmie or her sidekick and Dr. Drakken.

Looks like Dr. D is getting some action again, she mused, taking a mental note to avoid hitting him should he actually get off that jet, but she doubted he would.

"Gemini! You think four minutes are all that, but they're _not_!" Drakken bellowed… only shut his mouth and shift a little uneasily as both Gemini and Dr. Director gave him a baffled look. All agents fell silent for a few moments as well, and beside him Will Du sighed and shook his head. Shego raised an eyebrow as Drakken seemed to shrink a little, losing most of his confidence. "…what? I thought it fit."

Gemini clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "I see that even now that you realized what a failure you are as a villain, you can't get anything right even as one of the _good_ guys," he sneered.

"What? I'm not a failure of a villain! I could take over the world before you… er…" Drakken cringed a little as he noticed the glares he was getting from every GJ agent. Dr. Director seemed anything but amused herself, while Shego was smirking a little. "I, uh… guess that wasn't the right thing to say."

"Just… release your robots, will you?" agent Du muttered under his breath, his palm pressing against his face in embarrassment – what had he done wrong to be stuck with that incompetent oaf?

"Er… fine," Drakken mumbled.

Shego tensed a little as she saw him producing a remote control. It looked like he was getting ready to unleash something… maybe the weapon he had told her about? That suspicion was confirmed when he glanced down and their gazes locked for a moment. Drakken was giving her an almost pleading look, and it took Shego just a moment to know what he was trying to tell her.

_Be careful._

She gave him a small, almost unnoticeable nod.

_Sure, doc. Now show me what you've got._

Apparently slightly reassured by her confidence, Drakken finally pressed a button on the remote control. Just an instant later, the jet's hatch opened and five figures jumped down at such an impressive speed that they were on the WEE agents – who, until that moment, had managed to not be overcome by the GJ agents – before they could even realize what was going on: barely instants later, most of them were tumbling on the ground without even realizing what had just hit them.

Shego was a much more expert fighter and her reflexes were far better than theirs, still she could duck just in time under a blow one of the figures tried to deliver to her. She hit her opponent with a powerful kick, only to hear a clang and to feel a sudden pain in her foot.

_They're robots, not humans. After all these years, one would think you could tell the difference._

Shego scowled a little and leapt backwards, barely dodging another blow – they were _fast_ – and shooting a blast of plasma that hit the robot square in its chest… but with no result. Far from being damaged, the robot only stopped for a moment as is to analyse her, and Shego had just a moment to be surprised by the fact the robot's face looked everything like Dr. Director's – what the heck was Drakken thinking when he built them? – before some other agent's yell snapped her from her thoughts.

"Alpha, look out!"

She barely had enough time to turn and raise her arms to block the blow, and she could barely hold back a cry at the pain as the robot hit her arms. They were fast, strong _and_ resistant to plasma, she realized – unless she could find a way to take them down quickly, she would be worn out in no time while the robots definitely wouldn't have a such problem. But how could she take them down if she apparently couldn't cause them any harm even with plasma?

_But maybe they could harm each other – it's worth a try. They're machine, and thus they can't think. You could use it at your advantage._

True enough, Shego thought as she noticed on the corner of her eye that the other robot was about to dart towards her while she fought against the second one. She waited until the last instant before leaping out of the way, and there was a loud clang as the blow what was meant to her hit the other robot.

"Some robots you've built," Will Du muttered with a scowl "aren't they supposed to be _thinking_ robots?"

"They are," Drakken said defensively, though still watching worriedly the fight between Shego and his creations: on some level he was satisfied and rather proud to see how well they were doing, still…! "I told you, they're learning robots. They won't be fooled twice the same way."

Beneath them Shego was smirking, but her satisfaction was short-lived: neither of the robots seemed damaged in the slightest and both of them immediately turned their attention to her and charged her as one. Shego could only light up her hands and get ready to fight at her best.

Above her head, Gemini seemed too amused by the way those robots looked to actually realize that they were beating the crap out of his men. "Wait, GJ's got robots that look like you? And then they say _I _am cruel to my subordinates," he grinned down at his sister "what did they _do_ to deserve having to see your face all the time? Broke your favourite doll?"

Dr. Director chose to ignore his childish taunt for once. "You know, maybe you should concern yourself with the fact those robots are moping the floor with your agents," she retorted, then she turned to glance to her left "and it looks like your agent Alpha isn't doing too well either."

"What…?" Gemini winced, and Dr. Director had just an instant to see he looked almost _scared_ before he turned to see his agent Alpha battling against two robots at once. She could avoid their blows, but they seemed immune to her attacks and were driving her to a corner. She tried to leap past them, but one of the robot's hands reached up so quick that he almost couldn't follow the movement and grasped her ankle. Shego tried to kick it away, but nothing slackened the robot's iron grip and before she could try to think of anything she could do to free herself the robot had flung her on the ground with impressive force.

Shego managed to flip so that she wouldn't land on her back, but the impact with the ground was still too violent and she let out a hiss of pain as her ankle twisted – not enough to break or to sprain, thankfully, but it still hurt and it would hinder her in the long run… and those robots certainly weren't about to tire.

"Well, this is a good one, Dr. D. I've got to give you that," she muttered under her breath. She lit up her hands and shot some plasma at the robots even though she knew it wouldn't stop them. If anything she could gain a few more instants to think… but nothing came to her mind. The only way she could think of to defeat them was making them hitting each other, but it had only worked that first time and then they hadn't let her fool them anymore, so she guessed they had to have some kind of learning technology that allowed them to learn while fighting. It was rather impressive, but definitely annoying. Maybe she could-

"Hey!" she protested as she felt something forcefully grabbing her, and before she could even react a third robot had grabbed her, lifted her from her ground and thrown her against the wall of Dr. Renton's house. She managed to bounce off the wall, her ankle protesting a little, and she cursed under her breath as she noticed that all five robots were walking towards her now – it looked like that the other WEE agents were being held down by the GJ agents, and thus the robots had focused all their attention on the only threat left: her.

_Oh, cra-_

Before she could even finish that thought, several explosions caused the GJ agents to scramble away, letting go of the men they were holding down – Gemini had just fired all the missiles he had in his hand at once. "RETREAT!" he barked as another set of missiles was fired, one of them narrowly missing Dr. Director, and Drakken barely avoided another one just because Will Du had been quick to grab his collar and make him crouch.

The WEE agents definitely didn't need their leader to repeat that order: in a few instants rope ladders were thrown from both the jet Gemini was onto and the other ones, and they were quick to grab them to be brought to safety. Shego reached up to grab a ladder and was lifted from the ground just in time before all the robots charged at her at once, nearly crashing against each other. She gave a silent sigh of relief and gave a small nod at Drakken – he smiled just a little, clearly relieved to see she was still fine enough – before she began climbing up the ladder and onto the jet as it went on stealth mode and disappeared from sight.

"Should we go after them, Dr. Director?" Will Du asked.

Dr. Director shook her head. "With their jets on stealth mode, there would be no point in even trying," she said "I guess we should just be glad that they couldn't kidnap anyone," she seemed oddly thoughtful for a few instants before she turned to Drakken. "Lipsky, I think your robots have passed this test brilliantly. Change their… facial features, and we'll build more of them."

Drakken grinned proudly. Shego hadn't gotten really hurt or anything, and his robots had impressed Dr. Director – it just couldn't go any better than that. "Sure, Dr. Director," he glanced sideways at Will Du "and… what about my trial test?" he asked. If he could stop having Will Du constantly watching him like a hawk, that day would really be his best one in a while.

She nodded absentmindedly. "I suppose we could consider your trial period over," she said quietly, a small frown still on his face as he recalled just how worried her brother had seemed while he watched the fight between his agent Alpha and the robots, and how he had ordered everybody to retreat when it was clear she was in trouble.

_What if…?_

For a moment she stared ahead, looking almost as stunned as she had been when looking at the robots for the first time, then she recoiled with a small chuckle as she realized how utterly ridiculous the idea that had crossed her mind for an instant actually was.

* * *

It was night when the jet finally landed in the hangar, and Shego was rather relieved when the ceiling closed above them and the base began sinking in the mountain again: the flight had seemed to last forever and the atmosphere in the jet had been so tense that it felt like she could cut the tension with a knife.

Gemini hadn't been pleased by the fact GJ had managed to thwart that scheme, of course. He had rambled and yelled at his agents and threatened to get rid of each of them, even though he hadn't done so – maybe he was sensible enough to realize it hadn't been their fault since he had been there to see what had happened and he knew they had been lucky to get away in the first place. If so, it certainly wasn't enough to make him stop sulking and yelling for the whole flight.

Still, it weren't his complaints that bothered her. What _really_ gnawed at her was that none of his ramblings had been directed at her. Shego would have never thought she would find it annoying not being blamed for something, but now the fact Gemini was just ignoring her presence was frustrating. She was his agent Alpha, and she had been the one in charge for the mission, so why the heck hadn't he even _looked_ at her? He hadn't even asked her if she got injuried during the fight – fine, it was pretty clear she wasn't really hurt, but it still annoyed her – and any time he met her gaze he had been quick to turn away.

_Well, can't you guess? He has plenty of reasons to feel awkward around you, mission or not mission._

Shego bit her lower lip as she unfastened the security belt and followed the others off the jet. Yes, it had to be it – heck, she felt awkward thinking about it right now, so it wasn't a surprise that Gemini would feel uneasy around her. And anyway, what other reason could he have? No reason at all, unless…

_Unless he has something to hide._

Shego had to ignore a sudden stab of nervousness in her stomach as the suspicions that had crossed her mind when she had first seen him pointing his mechanical hand against his sister. Even though she knew that he _had_ used his own men to bait GJ in a trap at least once before she joined WEE and that it was the kind of stuff evil people do, the mere idea was enough to make her feel as if someone had just tied her insides in a knot. Of course, it was just stupid of her being that worried about it, still…

_He wouldn't do this to his top agent._

_He had no trouble having his men shooting at you so that he could test your skills when he hired you._

_That was different._

_Yes, it was. What changed?_

Shego clenched her jaw and glanced to Gemini's back as he walked to the exit of the hangar, still rambling at the other agents. Stupid worries or not, she had no intention to stay with the uncertainty gnawing at her. She drew in a deep breath before she spoke to Gemini for the first time in hours. "Can I have a word with you, boss?"

Gemini abruptly trailed off, stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. He seemed surprised and oddly uneasy for a few moments before he recollected. "What is it about?" he asked as all the agents quickly left the hangar, thankful of the fact agent Alpha had gotten their leader's full attention – none of them really wanted to stick around him after a failed mission.

"About what happened this afternoon," Shego said quietly, her dead serious expression letting Gemini guess that there had to be something bothering her.

He scowled a little. "I'd rather not talk about this afternoon, agent Alpha," he said dryly "now, if you don't mind-"

"How did you know GJ would be after us?"

Gemini blinked. "What?"

"Your timing was a little too convenient to be a coincidence," Shego pointed out, folding her arms over her chest a little defensively as it occurred to her that it was the first time they were in the same room alone since when they had kissed.

Gemini's only eye narrowed. "If you're trying to make accusations you better be clear, agent Alpha," he said through gritted teeth.

Shego scowled. "Fine. Did you use me and the others as a bait for GJ?" she asked bluntly, and she was partially relieved to see the almost outraged expression on his face.

"Is _that_ what you think?" he spat, sounding both angry and bewildered at the same time "then you don't know me at all, agent Alpha!"

"I think I _do_, that's why I still haven't jumped to conclusions and fried your ass extra crispy," she retorted, taking a few steps forward and stopping right in front of him, barely taking notice of Gemini's slight wince at her threat "but you _still_ haven't told me how come you were there at the right moment. It looked too much like you knew GJ was after us."

"I just realized something was wrong when we couldn't contact you anymore," he protested "my sister had played that trick with the electric fence once already, and it didn't take a genius to put two and two together. I have no idea _how_ they knew what we were up to, but it certainly wasn't because of me! I wouldn't do that!"

Shego breathed a little more easily, the knot in her insider loosening, but she still wanted to be certain he was telling the truth. He did sound sincere, but after all he was a bad guy… and a good actor. "You wouldn't? From what I was told, you _did_ use some of your agents as a bait at least once."

Gemini snorted. "So what? They were incompetent oafs I would have disposed of in any case. At least they were useful that way. In case you haven't noticed, this is an evil organization and I'm a _bad_ person," he pointed out "but I'm not _stupid_. I couldn't use you as a bait!"

Fine, Shego supposed she could believe him after all. Her posture relaxed at the relief that washed over her, and she smirked a little as she noticed just how bothered he seemed by the fact she could think he'd use her as a bait. "You _couldn't_?" she asked with fake innocence, taking a step forward so that they were face to face. He seemed to tense a little at the closeness, but he didn't try to step back.

"I mean… I wouldn't," Gemini immediately corrected himself "no idiot would use their top agent as a bait."

"Of course not," Shego felt some mild amusement at his excuse "and that's the only reason, right?" she asked a little teasingly. She had expected him to say that yes, that was the only reason, so she was a little taken aback – but not at all displeased – by his reply.

"Actually, no," Gemini said quietly, his gaze fixed on her face.

The slight stab of nervousness Shego felt for a moment was quickly forgotten. "Oh, really?" she asked, tilting up her head to look at his face with an amused glint in her eyes "and what's the other reason?"

"You know what it is," he said after just a moment's hesitation, his face once again a few inches from hers.

"Looks like I forgot it," she said mischievously "how about a reminder?"

She had almost expected him to gape at her and ask her to repeat herself – he could be _that_ slow – but this time he was pretty quick to catch up with what she told him and only a moment after she spoke his mouth was on hers again in a rough, eager kiss which she returned just as eagerly. She reached to rest her hands on his shoulders, a small shiver running down her spine when she felt his hand resting on her waist before running up her back and then to her head, his fingers tangling in her hair as he deepened the kiss.

_Well, it was about time. __But maybe the hangar isn't the best place to make out – remember what happened with agent Epsilon last time?_

_Good point._

Shego broke the kiss with some effort and pulled back just a little, her face still a few inches from his. "Wait," she gasped "not here."

Gemini drew in a deep breath and tried to clear his thoughts to realize that they were still standing in the middle of the hangar and that going any further there probably wouldn't be a bright idea. Sure, he could dispose of any agent that could see them, but it would be an unnecessary trouble he could spare himself. "My room," he finally uttered "no one will get there."

She raised an eyebrow. "I thought that's because your agents were forbidden to set foot in here," she said a little mockingly, reaching to fun a hand through his hair "and I just _happen_ to be your agent."

He frowned. "Is that your own version of 'I have a terribly headache this evening'? Because it's not like you _have_ to make up some lame-" he was cut off by Shego's lips pressing on his once more almost fiercely.

"Do I look like I have a headache, boss?" she smirked as she broke the deep kiss "I was simply stating how flattering it is for an agent to be allowed in certain areas of the base," she said a little tauntingly.

He grinned back, looking somewhat reassured. "In fact, no agent is allowed in my room – it wouldn't be safe or professional, _and_ you don't make an exception. But," he added, putting his arms around her waist and pulling her a little closer "you forgot a little detail."

Shego tilted up her head to look at him, her hands resting on his shoulders – for a moment she considered reminding him just how dangerous she could be, but she decided against it: he was clearly aware. "What detail?"

"Well, right now it's Friday night, which means-"

Before he could add anything else, she shuddered as a frightening thought hit her – any time she had heard those words from her previous employer, she knew the evening wouldn't be fun. Not at all. "_Please_, tell me you're _not_ into karaoke nights."

Gemini stared at her for a few moments, flabbergasted. "Karaoke?" he repeated as if it was some kind of exotic word "you're _kidding_, aren't you?"

Shego gave a sigh of utter relief. "Oh, _thank you_," she muttered to no one in particular before regaining her composure, grinning a little sheepishly "fine, nevermind that. As you were saying?" she said, hoping he could just pretend nothing had happened.

Fat chance. "We're not going to talk about the fact you randomly began babbling about karaoke?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She shrugged, still grinning a little as she reached to run her clawed glove over his cheek, causing him to shiver even so slightly. "We could. But it would spoil the mood, wouldn't it?" she said, lowering her voice a little as she ran her clawed glove on the side of his neck before resting her hand on his shoulder again.

Gemini smirked a little. "Good point. Where was I?"

"You were saying something about how I forgot a detail regarding your 'no agents in my room' rule, and then you informed me that it's Friday."

"Oh, right. As I was saying, agents are _not_, in fact, allowed in my room. But since it's Friday night…" he paused, as if to make sure she wouldn't freak out again, then he went on "… it means you're officially off duty until Monday. I never said that rule should apply to off-duty agents as well, did I?" he said smoothly, and she found herself smirking smugly.

"Well," she smirked "that changes everything."

* * *

"See? I told you," Beta stated matter-of-factly, turning to grin at Gamma as he kept staring at the scene the security camera in the hangar was showing on the screen, his left eye twitching a little beneath the goggles "you owe me fifty bucks, buddy."

Gamma stared at the screen for a few more moments before he managed to tear his gaze away and shut it off. He glanced at Beta's grinning face and then to his stretched hand, then he sighed. "Oh, well, fair's fair," he muttered as he reached for his wallet.


	12. Awakening

_A/N: it took me a while to figure out what this chapter should be like. I needed to show how spending the night together would affect Gemini and Shego's relationship, but since neither of them is the kind of person who sits down and talks about this kind of stuff directly (and good thing they aren't, because I get the feeling this chapter would have been incredibly boring otherwise) I decided to just give some more space to their interaction the morning after. Said interaction ended up taking over a whole chapter which doesn't really add much in terms of plot, but jumping this part and getting back to action directly would have felt too jarring and this I settled for the lesser evil _XD

_One more thing. Since most of this fic was writtern a few months back, some time ago I got bored enough to actually start writing some idea of what Gemini and Shego's first night together would be like. It ended up turning into one heck of a long smut piece that could easily be a chapter by itself, but I won't post it here both because I want to keep the fic T-rated and because the sex scene is definitely too detailed for this site's rules. I had actually almost forgotten about it until _**VampireNaomi **_suggested me to mention it in case someone could want to read it, so there. There is a link to the piece on my profile. Remember, it's definitely not suitable for children or for anyone who doesn't feel like reading anything with explicit mature content. You have to confirm you're at least eighteen to read it._

_...yes, the babbling is over. On to the chapter._

_

* * *

_

The first thing Gemini realized as he groggily opened his eye was that the room was still pitch black despite the fact they had forgotten to switch off all the lights the previous night. Odd.

The second thing he realized, however, was that the lights _were_ on: the reason why he couldn't see anything but black was that he had someone else's hair on his face – agent Alpha's.

And the third thing he realized as he sat up silently enough to not wake her up was that his back _hurt_. It took him a few instants for his mind to clear enough for him to realize that it had to be from the burns agent Alpha had given him when she had lost control of her plasma for a moment. Thankfully it had been brief and thus it hadn't hurt too much right away – and even if it did, he was definitely too busy to notice at the moment – but now it did sting; the burns may not be too severe, but together with the scratches she had given him they certainly weren't giving him any pleasant sensation.

_But it was worth it, wasn't it?_

Yes, Gemini thought with a smirk, it had most certainly been worth it. Actually, despite the stinging feeling and sore muscles he now felt rather good and way more relaxed than he had been in… well, in more time than he could remember. It was a pleasant change and quite a surprise, really.

_The real surprise was that you could keep up with her – it's been quite a while since the last time you got this kind of action, hasn't it, old boy?_

He shook his head with a slight grimace, not really willing to remember exactly how much had it been – quite a while, that was sure. Being the leader of a worldwide criminal organization surely isn't a kind of job that would allow you to get into any kind of relationship: he was a little too busy working twenty four-seven to spread chaos around the globe to even _think_ about something like that. He simply knew his current lifestyle wouldn't allow him such distractions; but of course, he had never imagined he could get… involved with one of his own agents. Not before agent Alpha came into the picture anyway.

He turned to glance at her still sleeping form. She was still deep in her sleep, the sheets pulled up to mid back; she hadn't even flinched as he had moved. A lot of people, even the worst criminals, can seem completely harmless and innocent in their sleep… but that wasn't the case: even while sleeping, there was a small smirk on her lips that made it clear she was hardly harmless, let alone _innocent_. He liked that.

He let his gaze shift from her face to her long, silky black hair spread on the pillow – and no longer on his face, he thought with a chuckle – then on her sleeping face again. He remembered thinking that, unlike most of his agents, she was at least someone pleasant to look at, but now he couldn't help but think she truly was gorgeous.

Not that it changed the fact there was simply no way that little… escapade could turn into something serious, of course. He was her employer, and he knew they were supposed to keep it a strictly professional relationship, so…

_Strictly professional? Last time I checked, a strictly professional relationship didn't involve waking up in the same bad after a night of, uh… recreational activity?_

He shook his head almost forcefully to chase away that thought. He didn't regret what had happened – it would be _fine_ with him if it stayed a one time thing, he told himself, and he certainly wouldn't mind if it _kept_ happening either – but at the same time he hoped she would have enough sense to know that… well…

Gemini frowned. But of course she would know that what had happened wouldn't change anything: she wasn't so foolish. Fine, denying the fact that she was something more than just a valuable agent to him would be a rather pointless lie, but that couldn't change the fact that she was his agent Alpha and that business came before anything else. He was still her employer, and she was still his top agent, period. That wasn't going to change, he thought as he silently got up and reached for his bathrobe on a nearby chair, the stinging sensation in his back screaming for an icy cold shower.

* * *

Her eyes still shut, Shego frowned a little at the red hue percolating through her eyelids. It looked like she had forgotten to switch off the lamp on the nightstand the previous evening, she thought, groggily reaching to her left to switch it off to get some more sleep. Still, her hand didn't meet the lamp nor the nightstand – the only thing she could touch was more bed. What the hell…?

_Well, either your bed grew larger overnight or this just isn't you bed. My vote goes to the latter._

… oh. Right.

Shego's eyes snapped open to see that she was, indeed, in someone else's bed and in someone else's room. Not that it really surprised her now that she could remember exactly what had happened, she thought with a smirk, which disappeared after a few moments as another thought crossed her mind.

_What now?_

She frowned for a few moments, then she just shrugged. It wasn't like what had happened had to mean anything. It had just happened, and whatever would happen now… well, she could deal with it, Shego decided, though inwardly thankful for the fact she was alone in the bed for now: if anything, she had the time recollect her thoughts. Had Gemini been there before she recalled exactly what had happened, chances were that she could overreact a little and the result probably wouldn't be pleasant. For him.

_Yes, but where is he?_

Shego stretched a little and turned to see Gemini sitting at a steel desk on the other side of the room – man, in that room everything but the bed seemed to be made of steel. He had his back turned to her, so he hadn't realized she was awake, and he was staring at a monitor in front of him with such concentration that he was literally hunching over to look closer. He probably wouldn't have noticed she was awake even if he was facing the bed, Shego thought with a smirk as she silently got up, wrapping the sheets around herself – it was cold in there, or maybe it was all the steel that made the room feel colder than it really was.

She stepped behind him without him even noticing: she could sneak up to anyone, let alone to someone whose attention was completely taken by something else. For a moment she hesitated, faintly wondering what would he exactly say to her now that they spent the night together: he would probably tell her it had just been a one-time thing that had been very unprofessional from both sides and that shouldn't happen again, she thought a little uncomfortably, then she frowned.

Not that it would _bother_ her, of course. It could have very well been a one night stand – so what? She didn't _want_ it to be anything more than that anyway: why should she? She didn't even _like_ him that much, she decided, but her gaze lingered on him for a few more moments than necessary. She allowed herself to smirk a little as she noticed even his _bathrobe_ was the same colours his uniform was before she finally turned her attention to image he was staring at on the monitor – apparently a map of a massive, fortified building.

"Are you planning to break into Fort Knox next time, boss?"

Gemini winced as she spoke, but he quickly caught himself and turned to her deliberately slowly, a scowl on his face. "You shouldn't sneak up my back like that," he complained, but he had relaxed considerably after realizing it was her.

"One of the reasons why you hired me is stealth. Sneaking up to people is what I _do_," Shego pointed out, feeling oddly relieved by his reaction – she had actually expected him to remind that she was just an agent and that she shouldn't be looking at his plans before he decided to let her and the other agents know about it. Actually, she had nearly expected him to point out she shouldn't be _there_ in the first place. Not that she would care, of course, but…

"Well, you're not supposed to sneak up to _me_," Gemini pointed out. His flesh and blood hand reached to rub the back of his neck while he muttered something about how giving her boss a heart attack would be the quickest way for her to end up unemployed again.

Shego rolled her eyes at his dramatics, finally daring to step closer and put her hands on his shoulders as she leant forward to take a better look at the map on the monitor, feeling just a little smug. Gemini didn't seem to mind – he even grinned a little as she rested her chin on the top of his head.

"So, what place is that?"

"A place we have to break into," he said vaguely "but hell knows _how_. It has to be one of the most protected places on earth. Right after the White House, maybe."

"Or Fort Knox."

"Do you have some kind of fixation with that place?"

"Nope, but I have a thing for money," she said with a shrug "don't stress out, boss. I could get through Granny Crocket's security systems – I'll get break in here too."

Gemini blinked. "Granny Crocket? Was it _you_ who almost got her cookie recipe?" he asked, surprised – he could remember hearing about something like that shortly before the Ron Factor accident. He had to repress a grimace at the thought, as always as he recalled that unfortunate event.

Shego smirked. "You _know_ Granny Crocket's chocolate chips cookies?" she said somewhat tauntingly – a kind of tone Gemini wouldn't have tolerated from any of his agents… and, under normal circumstances, not even from her.

"So what? They're _good_," Gemini said somewhat defensively.

She grinned, reaching to poke his stomach. "Yes, I see."

His only eye narrowed. "Are you trying to tell me something?" he said, his voice dangerously low.

That was the kind of moment she would have started teasing Dr. D to no end about midlife weight gain or something close, but it probably wasn't a good idea teasing Gemini like that. "I wouldn't dare, boss," she said a little smugly, putting her arm around his shoulders again. Fine, she did think that losing a few pounds wouldn't kill him, but she doubted he would take that suggestion too well, no matter the circumstances.

He snorted, but he didn't add anything to the matter. "_Sure_. Now, would you _mind_ focusing on this break in?"

"Why should I?" Shego said with a shrug, her fingers absentmindedly playing with the folds of his bathrobe "it's Saturday morning and I'm off duty," she added, just realizing that due to the lack of windows she could only _assume_ it was morning. Then again, she was pretty sure it was: she had grown used to windowless places, and she had developed some kind of internal clock that had proved to be rather accurate.

"You're not off duty until _I_ say you are," Gemini retorted with a frown.

"You did say so. Yesterday night. Right before we ended up here, remember?" she said a little slyly.

Yes, Gemini remembered those circumstances perfectly, but there was no way in heck he was going to say she was right. "Whatever," he grumbled "_now_ you're on duty because _I say so_."

Shego had to fight back the sudden urge of slamming his head on the desk. Repeatedly. "Alright, _fine_," she nearly snapped, suddenly feeling even more annoyed than usual by his endless displays of authority "do I get the time to take a shower and get dressed _before_ we start discussing over some strategy?"

"Er…" Gemini seemed a little taken aback by her reply – concentrated as he was on the mission ahead, he had entirely forgotten that she had just gotten up and that her clothing currently consisted in the sheets she had taken form his bed. He cleared his throat, trying to make any sign of uneasiness go away. "Sure," he said, gesturing to a door on the other side of the room "that's the bathroom."

"You didn't use up all the hot water, did you?"

He snorted. "I didn't use a _drop_ of hot water. Have you forgotten how you tried to _roast_ me?" he muttered with a frown. Even though the cold water had been a relief at first, it had quickly made him feel as if he had been swimming in the arctic. And had to stay in the shower for quite a while, mainly because her black lipstick had been darn hard to wash off his neck – for a few moments he had wondered if it was a permanent marker or something like that. He wasn't some expert, but he wasn't sure a normal lipstick was supposed to be _that_ resistant to water and soap; fine, some of the marks had turned out to be hickies, but still…!

"Oh, right," Shego grinned a little sheepishly as she recalled how she had lost control for a moment the previous night "but at least it's just a superficial burn."

"It's still bothersome," he retorted.

"Yes, whatever," she shrugged "no need to complain too much, you've had worse."

"That's no reason to give me any hand-shaped burn scar. And what about the scratches?"

"I didn't hear you complaining last night," Shego shot back before she went to recollect her stuff, and she didn't even try to hold back a satisfied smirk as he just shut his mouth without speaking and quickly turned his full attention to the screen, still scowling a little. Gemini stayed silent for a few moments, still looking at the monitor as he heard her picking up her clothes and walking to the bathroom, then he closed his eye, and for a few moments he could still see that darn map, as if it had been imprinted in his retina. He finally opened his mouth to speak, fully ready to throw in some threat in case she let anyone know what had happened between them – if the thought any of his agents could find out made him frown, the mere idea of his sister or, worse yet, his _mother _finding out somehow just terrified him – but the words that eventually left his mouth were quite different.

"Do you want some breakfast?" he asked, avoiding to look at her "I'm about to tell agent Omega to make himself useful and bring me something to eat."

Shego stopped on the doorway, her stomach grumbling just a little at the thought. Breakfast? Yeah, that didn't sound too bad. "Some cereals. And orange juice."

Gemini made a face. "That stuff is barely worth being called breakfast," he pointed out.

She rolled her eyes. "It's a healthy breakfast, unlike the ones I saw Omega delivering to you every morning. Don't you _ever_ change menu?"

"There is nothing unhealthy with-"

"An exaggerated amount of black coffee, fried bacon, eggs and fried bread?" Shego raised an eyebrow "oh, sure, that's _so_ healthy. I guess it's why every doctor recommends people to eat like that every morning to keep the pressure low and avoid heart attacks," she taunted him.

He narrowed his eye. "You're getting lippy," he pointed out, sounding anything but pleased "and I don't appreciate your sarcasm."

Shego shrugged, a small smirk on her lips. "I was just agreeing with you," was all she said before she walked in the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Gemini stared at the steel door with a frown for a few moments before he pressed a button on the desk.

"Agent Omega, bring me my usual breakfast. Plus cereals and orange juice," he made a face at the thought Omega would assume it was for him as well.

Whether agent Omega had noticed or not, he certainly didn't make any kind of comment – he wouldn't dare. "Yes, sir," was all he said.

"And, Omega?" Gemini added as an afterthought. Not that what she had said had affected him in _any_ way, of course, but he had suddenly remembered he hadn't been checking his blood pressure in a while, so until he did… well, better safe than sorry, right?

The voice that came from the other side seemed to get slightly more nervous. "Yes?"

"Leave out the fried bread."

* * *

Shego let out a sigh as she finally stepped into the shower – yes, there was still hot water, thankfully: cold showers really were not her thing. She shut her eyes and stood for a while with her face turned up to the stream; she somehow found it easier to actually think in moments like that.

She still hadn't managed to figure out how exactly that whole thing would turn out: Gemini hadn't addressed the matter, and she knew he wasn't going to. Not directly, at least: the 'let's sit down and talk' approach certainly wasn't his style, nor it was hers. It could as well have been a one-night stand… and it would _fine_ with her, of course: it wasn't like she really liked him. He was bossy, self-centered, awfully stubborn and always wanting to be the one in control, and he could get so awfully _childish_…!

_Yeah, this kind of reminds me of a certain someone._

"Oh, _please_," Shego muttered to herself as she finally took the soap and began washing. "And just think of how he fusses over that stupid dog – he sounds like DNAmy, and it's _creepy_. And all the ramblings I had to endure about him being four darn minutes older than his sister! I have more reasons to dislike him than to like him in any way, really."

_Sure. And you dislike him so much that this morning you woke up in his bed, and surely not because you walked into the wrong room yesterday evening and were too sleepy to notice. You kind of enjoyed yourself._

Well, yes, she had, but that was just natural: it didn't _mean_ anything. Alright, maybe there was something in him that she rather admired; he was organized, efficient and definitely much more competent than any other villain she could think of right now… at least as long as his dog was out of the picture and his sister wasn't in sight. Fine, Monkey Fist had some potential – he was he only one who had ever been capable to put up a fight against her for the remote control when they were stuck in prison with only one television in the lunch room – but he wasted it by uselessly running after worthless monkey idols.

Gemini was on a whole other level: he was capable of ruling a whole organization with an iron fist, he certainly knew how to use fear to make his agents obey him… and he was the only person she knew aside from herself that had no qualms going against his own family. And damn it, he was _better_ at it than she was: that time Aviarius had stolen her brothers' powers, she had _really_ lost on purpose so they could have their powers back while she could keep her reputation safe; during her mission in Go City, she _had_ held back a little. Gemini, on the other hand, wasn't likely to ever have the same regards for his sister.

He seemed to be one of those unforgiving people who can hold grudge for their whole life – he was evil, and _dangerous_, and she had to admit she rather liked that. And, to be completely honest, while she had been with better looking men he didn't even look _that_ bad for the villain community standards… especially taking people like Dementor or Aviarius in consideration, she thought, allowing herself to think that he was almost handsome compared to them.

_Okay, stop here. You're starting to sound like a crushing teenager._

Shego snorted as she rinsed her hair again – she, a crushing teen? As if! She was simply thinking of the reasons why he had attracted her in the first place, that was all: it wasn't like crushing. It would be rather useless crushing over her boss after what could easily have been a one-night stand.

_And what if it wasn't? What if things keep going?_

She froze for a few seconds at the thought, then she just shrugged and kept rinsing her hair. If things kept going… well, she would just go with it. She had no idea of where it would lead or how much it would last, but after all a long-term, regular relationship wasn't something she was interested into; not enough to actually _try_ anyway. Still, she certainly wouldn't mind if that became a habit, as long as it didn't affect her work and reputation. No, she thought somewhat smugly, she wouldn't mind at all.

* * *

"No bread?" Shego asked with something that vaguely resembled a smirk as she walked next to him again, just showered and fully clothed, her hair just a little damp. He was still sitting at his desk, eating his breakfast while staring at the monitor.

Darn, he had hoped she wouldn't notice. "I already ate that," Gemini said somewhat sulkily as he kept chewing on his bacon. Screw blood pressure, he thought – he could do without fried bread for a while, but bacon was a whole other thing. "Why don't you mind what _you_ eat?" he glanced at her bowl of cereals on the desk in distaste.

"Fine, _fine_," she said, rolling her eyes before glancing around "is there…?"

"Here." Gemini pressed a button. There was a buzzing noise, then a seat appeared from under the floor in front of the desk, right next to him.

Shego raised an eyebrow. "Am I supposed to sit there?"

"Unless you want to eat standing, yes. What's wrong with that seat?"

"Do I _have_ to remind you what usually happens when you tell someone to have a seat?"

Gemini snickered. "That's right," he said amusedly "but you have my word that this one isn't going to be launched as soon as you're sitting on it.

"Oh, really?" she grinned a little "how do I know there isn't a trapdoor instead?"

"I can't see any reason why I should do so. You're…" he paused for a split of second "…my most valid agent."

His brief hesitation didn't pass unnoticed, but she decided to ignore it and simply sat. "So," she said, pouring some milk in the bowl before taking a spoonful of cereals and glancing at the monitor "what's the big deal?" she asked. Truth to be told, now it was kind of a relief talking about work again – it was a safe ground neither of them risked to feel uncomfortable about.

"A project we have to steal. A well protected one," Gemini said with a frown as he observed yet another map on the screen – some red marks marked the points where defence weapons were placed, and it looked like there were _hundreds_ of those.

"What kind of project?"

"All information on this matter is on a need-to-know basis, and you _don't_ need to know," Gemini said a little more forcefully than necessary. He turned to glance at her, as if challenging her to protest – yet another of his displays of authority, she thought in mild annoyance.

Shego shrugged. "Alright, whatever. You would have sounded a lot more intimidating if you weren't chewing bacon, though," she pointed out.

Gemini was about to retort, then he paused and quickly swallowed his bite before he actually spoke. "I can _still_ launch that seat, you know," he threatened.

She hesitated. Had it been Drakken to threaten her, she wouldn't have even minded – she _knew_ he wouldn't really do anything to get rid of her because he _needed_ her… but she wasn't sure Gemini would be willing to put up with her, not even after what had happened. But of course he wouldn't, she thought somewhat angrily, ignoring the fact he had pretty much admitted he wouldn't dispose of her unless something drastic happened; it wasn't like what had happened the previous night meant much of anything to _either_ of them. "Alright, alright, I take that back," she sighed "it was just a suggestion anyway – someone who doesn't know you could take you less seriously if you speak with your mouth stuffed."

Well, maybe that was a valid advice after all. "Fine, I'll keep it in mind," he muttered "but you _still_ should know better."

"Hey, I just said you would have _sounded_ a lot more intimidating if your weren't talking through chewed bacon, not that you were not intimidating."

"Oh," he paused before grinning smugly "so you think I _am_ intimidating."

"Kind of."

He immediately frowned. "What does it mean, _kind of_?"

"Well, you're about as intimidating as a guy can look wearing a purple bathrobe and eating bacon and scrambled eggs," she pointed out "this kind of stuff doesn't exactly scream evil, but you still pull it off."

"Ah," Gemini's frown deepened as he tried to figure out if that was actually a compliment or a very subtle way of criticising his choices of meals and clothing, but he couldn't really tell and eventually decided that he probably better stay with the doubt rather than asking and sounding like an idiot. He shrugged. "Well, bacon and eggs are _still_ more intimidating than milk and cereals," he pointed out a little grumpily.

Shego raised an eyebrow. "Are you really up to discussing how intimidating our _breakfasts_ are?"

Well, Gemini had to admit it sounded kind of stupid put that way. "No, I… nevermind," he finally grunted, taking another bite of bacon and glancing at the monitor again. Shego, however, just couldn't let a chance to have some fun at his expenses pass by. She smirked at took a peek of his plate.

"You know, if you dispose the bacon the right way you can make it look like the eggs are frowning. _That_ would make it an intimidating plate of eggs and bacon. Dr. D always did so."

Gemini glared at her in annoyance – now he was pretty sure she _was_ mocking him. And what did her previous employer have to do with it anyway? He scowled at the sudden pang of annoyance – he refused, just _refused_ to classify it was jealousy. "I'm not a kid, you know," he grumbled "I'm _older_ than you are!"

Here we go again, Shego thought, rolling her eyes – how come he seemed to think being older than someone else would automatically make him right? "Oh, really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, a small smirk on her lips "just how much older do you think you are?"

Gemini blinked. "What?" he asked, just realizing he had just dug himself in a trap. Even though phrased differently, he knew it was one of those dreadful 'how old do you think _I_ am' questions. Not the kind of question you would like to give the wrong reply to, especially when the one asking is a woman… and most of all, not when the one asking is the woman you happened to have spent the night with.

"I asked how much older than me you think you are," Shego repeated, her smirk widening "you're not going to dodge that question, are you, boss?" she asked with fake innocence.

Darn, he thought, she had foreseen his attempt before he even tried to change subject. He snorted. "I don't see how that is relevant," he said, shifting just a little on his seat and trying to remember her birth date – he was sure he had read it in her résumé, but he couldn't remember it.

Shego's grin widened. "Well, you are the one who brought up the subject," she pointed out, pushing the now empty bowl of cereals aside to rest her elbow on the desk "don't worry if you get it wrong, boss, I won't bite. Hard."

Gemini scoffed. "I'm not worried at all," he informed her. He, worried? As if! "Do I have to remind you I happen to be your employer? You're the one who should be worried, not _me_!"

"Yeah, you're right – I almost forgot. I'll keep it in mind," she said with a shrug "so, Mighty One, what's the problem with replying to that question?" she said snidely.

Well, it was clear there was no way to avoid that question without having her thinking he really _was_ worried he could end up saying the wrong thing. He gritted his teeth – there was no way he would give any reason to think she could _intimidate_ him in any way! He narrowed his only eye, carefully looking at her – she looked like…like someone in her mid-twenties, maybe…? So the gap could be more or less… "Fifteen years?" he tried.

Shego smirked. "Hey, you even made me younger," she said, poking his shoulder "almost, boss, almost. It's thirteen years…unless you lied on your age to make yourself younger. Or older, considering how you seem to like that better," she joked, her grin widening a little as she remembered just how scarily accurate he had been when he had stated his age.

Gemini seemed slightly relieved for a moment, then he frowned. "I don't _need_ to lie on my age," he pointed out "not to you, not to _anyone_."

"Yeah, that's what everyone says before midlife crisis strikes."

Alright, now that was the last straw. "_Enough_, agent Alpha!" Gemini barked. His mechanical hand instinctively reached for the button that would launch the seat Shego was sitting onto, causing her to tense just for a moment before as hand stopped in mid-air for a split of second and then clenched into a fist before hitting the steel desk with a resonating clang. "I won't tolerate your attitude any further – do I have to remind you what your position is?" he growled threateningly, his only eye narrowed.

Fine, Shego thought, maybe she had pushed it too far… still, she couldn't help but feel just a little smug as she glanced at the ejection button he had been about to press. Yes, he had gotten very close to pressing it, but he hadn't… and she was certain he wouldn't have hesitated one single instant had it been any other of his agents in her place. Not that she thought there could be a chance for any other agent to be in her place right now, she mused. "Alright, I get it – my bad," she said a little more quietly than usual, holding up her hands "I was just joking, boss."

He opened his mouth to retort that she was paid to do her job, not to _joke_, that she shouldn't forget what her place was and that she shouldn't even think of taking that much confidence around him, but he changed his mind as he realized that in the light of the… recent events, it was a little too late to tell her to not take too much confidence with him. Still, he couldn't let her disrespect him, even if it meant pretending to be more upset than he actually was: it had to be clear that nothing had truly changed, nothing that _mattered_.

He eventually shrugged. "Consider it a reminder, agent Alpha – you shouldn't try my patience," he grumbled a little, leaning back against the seat and reaching to shut off the monitor; he just wasn't in the mood to work anymore, and it was Saturday anyway. He would take care of that later – there was no rush after all.

"Alright, you made you point clear," Shego said, getting up to walk behind him again, and Gemini's frown melted just a little as her hands began massaging his shoulders, careful to not slip on the burnt skin. She smirked a little smugly as she felt him relaxing: it looked like it didn't take much to soften him. "Are you always this stiff in the morning, boss?"

He chuckled. "Well, last night I hardly got much _rest_, did I?" he said, and despite the fact she had been the one to address directly to what had happened for the first time she did feel a slight pang of uneasiness as she heard it coming from him. She stiffened a little, and Gemini seemed to sense her uneasiness, for he chuckled in mild amusement – one for him, he thought with a smirk. She had it coming for taunting him anyway.

Shego quickly recollected and just shrugged, her hands rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I noticed," she said a little smugly before she changed subject "what time is it?"

"Almost nine," he said, rather glad she had changed subject – he wasn't really willing to start talking about what had happened for now – then he shut his only eye and leant a bit more comfortably against the desk since leaning back against the seat was not an option right now. "A little on the left," he muttered, and Shego was rather amused by his sigh of relief as her fingers massaged a few muscle knots in his upper back.

"This is what you get for sitting the whole day," she pointed out "do you _ever_ stop working and just relax anyway?"

"Are you _questioning_ my habits?" he asked, opening his eye again and glaring at her faint reflection on the now blank monitor.

"I was just pointing out that staying cooped up in a subterranean base and sitting at a desk all the time doesn't do wonders for one's back," she said with a shrug, rubbing the back of his neck again "you're kind of stiff. It wouldn't hurt you moving a little more."

"If you're trying to say I'm lazy, I have to inform you I'm _not_," he said sharply "I simply don't get much spare time, considering the detail I have a worldwide criminal organization to rule and… uh… a little on the right," he relaxed again under her touch and gave a satisfied sigh – he had to admit that felt kind of nice.

Shego cocked an eyebrow. "Well, looks like I have a new duty here. I should probably ask for a rise," she joked, then she paused as she felt Gemini stiffening again under her hands. "What is it, boss?" she asked as Gemini turned to glance at her.

"A raise…?" he repeated, and for a moment he seemed somewhat confused and almost _worried_. She blinked, a little taken aback, then she quickly shook her head as she realized what he had thought she meant.

"Wha…? No, wait, I didn't mean _that_," she protested, sounding just a little hurt against her own will – just who did he take her for? "I was talking about the back rub, and I was _kidding_ anyway!"

"Ah," Gemini had to hold back a sigh of relief. Not that he really _valued _what had happened that much, of course – it had just happened and they had both enjoyed it, and that was all – but for some reason the thought she might have spent the night with him just for an extra in her pay check had chilled him.

"Wait, did you really think I just… wanted to get money out of you or what?" Shego's annoyed voice snapped him from his thoughts. He glanced at her and tried to analyse the situation. She was still there; good. She had stopped rubbing his back; bad. She was staring at him with her eyes narrowed and her arms folded, as if he had just said something very insulting – and he probably _had_; very, very bad.

For a moment Gemini considered getting out of trouble by pointing out once again _who _was the boss there – it had always been his favourite way to settle things with his agents after all – but he decided against it: he got the distinct feeling it would just make the situation worse. Not that he really _mattered_ if she was mad at him – he had always claimed he didn't care of what his agents thought of him as long as they obeyed him, and it was true – but still… well, he _had_ grown to appreciate her company, and it was getting increasingly difficult putting her on the same level as his other agents.

"No, I don't," he finally said "I simply… misunderstood your words, that's all."

"Yeah, I noticed," Shego said somewhat coldly, folding her arms and glancing away "so, am I still on duty or can I get out of here for the weekend, _boss_?" she asked, emphasizing a little too much the last word.

Her sudden coldness didn't escape Gemini, but he pretended he hadn't detected it – besides, what could he say? Technically speaking, she wasn't being disrespectful or anything: she was being far more respectful than usual, really. "You're off duty – we'll resume talking about that mission in another moment," he said, his voice as cold and impersonal as hers "I want you back on duty on Monday morning."

"Sure," was all Shego muttered before turning her back to him and walking out of the room. Gemini sighed and ran his flesh and blood hand through his hair as he heard the thick steel door closing behind her with a faint buzzing noise – fine, maybe he _was_ a bit rusty when it came to women after all.


	13. Setback

_A/N: I'm sorry for the delay, but I've been busy as heck with university and then my brain was just taken over by plot bunnies for another fandom. But I'm going to finish this, I promise. Not that there's much left, just another chapter and then probably an epilogue._

_

* * *

_

"Here," Dr. Director said as she signed the last few papers and handed one of the copies to Drakken "your trial period is officially over. Congratulations, and welcome to GJ – for real."

"Great!" Drakken gave a wide grin as he reached to take it. Perched on the edge of the seat, Dr. Director couldn't help but think he looked a lot like an enthusiastic kid who just got top grades at his first test. She had to hold back a chuckle at the thought as Drakken went on. "So, this means I won't have that Will Du guy watching me like a hawk?"

She smirked a little. "You don't get along with agent Du, I see."

Drakken snorted. "He's an annoying kid," he muttered "he always said he could do anything better, he questioned me all the time and he followed me everywhere. I thought he'd follow me in the toilet too!"

"No need to worry, he didn't have to. We have cameras in the toilets," Dr. Director said, looking absolutely serious.

Drakken sighed in relief. "Oh, that's good, because it would- wait, _what_?" he almost screeched. He looked so comically horrified by the thought that Dr. Director's most heroic efforts to stay serious only lasted a few more moments and she finally grinned.

"Got you worried?"

He seemed to breathe a little more easily as he realized she had just been joking – and had he told anyone in the headquarters that she was capable of joking while on duty he knew they wouldn't believe him. The thought made him feel somehow special for some reason, but he didn't stop to think too much about it. "Yes! Don't to that again," he said, pouting a little. For a moment Dr. Director couldn't tell if he reminded her more of a kid sulking kid or of her brother in that moment, then she decided there wasn't much difference anyway.

"Since when do you give me orders, Lipsky?" she asked instead, her voice suddenly cold, and she was amused to watch him squirming for a few moments before she chuckled and went back to the subject at hand – how come they changed subject so easily lately? "In any case yes, this means that Will Du won't be watching you any longer. Nobody will."

That was exactly what Drakken wanted to hear. "Great!" he exclaimed, and Dr. Director blinked as he produced a thermos from… from… where had he exactly been keeping it under a moment before anyway? "How about a toast?"

"With cocoa?" she asked with a hint of amusement in her voice, but she did open the drawer to get a couple of plastic glasses.

"Cocoa moo," Drakken corrected her "hey, it's what I had. And anyway, why not? We like it."

"That is a good point," she admitted as he filled both glasses "so, to the end of your trial period?"

"Sure," he grinned, lifting his glass for a moment before he drank. Dr. Director faintly wondered if he had any idea of how amusing he looked, especially with cocoa smeared around his mouth and huge toothy grin. She took a sip herself before she spoke.

"In any case, it's my duty to remind you that if you give us any reason to think you're up to something…" she paused and just glanced at him. She didn't really need to add something else, did she?

Drakken immediately shook his head. "Won't happen."

"I'm sure it won't. Anyway, you can take the weekend off. You did a good job, and there isn't much work left for you these days. You should take a break."

Even though he had been the one to insist on working on weekends, even Drakken had limits –he had been working hard lately, so a little break to sleep until late morning and just relax doing nothing would do him well. It wasn't a bad idea, really: maybe he could even go to the karaoke club that night. Still, he frowned a little. "Oh. Great," he glanced at her "but don't you ever take a break?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well, you work a lot more than I do, and you're _always_ here…"

Her voice became just a little colder, as if to warn him to not dwell in the matter. "I am the head of Global Justice – I _have_ to be here," she said, and Drakken got the distinct feeling he wasn't the only one who would return to an empty house once off duty.

"Oh. Right," he paused "isn't it _boring_?"

She raised an eyebrow. "_Boring _is pretty much the last word I would use to define this job, at least when I'm not filing paperwork."

"Er… yeah, good point," Drakken muttered, not even really knowing what he had meant with 'boring' anyway – after all his own life was much like that, his job being by far the most exciting part. He probably wouldn't even need to work for everyone since helping to defeat the Lowardians had meant getting a _lot_ of money aside from apparently wiping his criminal record clean and making all the charges against him drop. He could have easily stopped working or just work on his own projects… but now that he was no longer working to take over the world, he couldn't come up with any kind of projects without any kind of input from someone else. Despite finally getting all the recognition and admiration he had always _known_ he deserved, his life was turning out to be awfully boring before he began working for GJ. "So, uh…" he cleared his throat and stood "guess I'll see you on Monday."

"Of course," Dr. Director nodded slightly before turning to glance at the thermos still on her desk "you're forgetting your cocoa."

"You can keep it. It's still almost full and, uh… I have another one home."

"Ah," she stared at him for a moment in surprise, before finally nodding. "Well, thanks. You'll have the thermos back on Monday."

"No problem."

Dr. Director found herself staring at the door long after he left, lost in thought, then she shook her head almost forcefully and tried to focus back on the reports… not without filling her glass with cocoa moo first.

* * *

"… and by Tuesday at most, you'll have the devices," Jack Hench finished, writing down some note "we're rather busy with orders lately, but I suppose regular clients can get some facilitations," he smirked "especially if you'll let me take a look at those weapons once you'll… _acquire_ them."

"Of course," Gemini grinned as well and reached to press a few keys, and moments later the writing 'transition complete' appeared on the smaller monitor. Gemini got a chuckle out of Hench's surprised expression on the screen as he glanced down at his own monitor.

"Since when do you pay in advance?" he asked.

"Since when do you complain about being paid?"

"Oh, I wasn't complaining at all," Hench laughed "in any case, you won't be disappointed of your purchase. It's granted to turn off all power to the system once placed close enough to the power generator. Whatever place you want to… get into, it will be completely defenceless. Of course, you have to make sure there isn't any emergency generator."

"There is one, and my mole in the building told me where it is. That's why I ordered two devices. I'll take care of both," Gemini gave a satisfied grin, pleased by how quickly the whole mess with the security systems in the building would be dealt with, and he leant back on the seat… only to immediately sit upright again with a hiss as the pressure painfully reminded him of the burns agent Alpha had given him the previous night.

Agent Alpha. The thought made him grimace a little. What was she doing now? Was she still mad at him? Fine, what he had said _was_ rather offensive, but he hadn't really meant it _that_ way. Not that he really cared if she was still upset, of course, he just… oh, well, she'd have to get over it, because it wasn't like he was going to apologize or anything like that. And if she didn't, then it was her problem. She just got upset too easily, that was all.

_Look who's talking._

_Shut up._

"Sheldon? Are you alright?"

Hench's voice snapped him from his thoughts. He glanced up to see him looking at him intently from the screen. "Er… sure, I'm fine. My back just hurts a little," he said quickly, though for a moment he was almost tempted to drop a few hints of the _reason_ why his back hurt just to have fun leaving him with the doubt. Almost. Too bad he didn't really feel like dwelling in the matter… and as much as he trusted Jack Hench, he wasn't really that eager to let anyone know that he had gotten himself involved like that with his top agent. Hell, he didn't even know _how_ involved they actually were!

_But you'll have to try making some sense out of this sooner or later._

Yes, he would have to. _They_ would have to, and Gemini couldn't say he was looking forward to it. He wished there could be a way to fix things without the talking part.

* * *

"Boo."

"Eep!"

Shego couldn't hold back a snicker as she saw Drakken dropping all the groceries on the porch – he clearly hadn't expected to see her standing in front of him as soon as he opened the door. "Got you scared, doc?" she asked with a smirk, rather glad to see he was home for the weekend this time. It looked like waiting a little more before leaving had been a good idea.

"Shego!" Drakken sputtered, somehow managing to sound both angry and happy at the same time as he recollected the groceries "don't do that again!"

"Hey, I'm a bad person," she retorted, stepping aside to let him in "and scaring you is fun. Easy as heck, but fun."

Drakken grumbled something as he put the bags on the closest table, but he didn't look too bothered. "How did you get in anyway?" he asked, but he sighed as Shego just cocked her eyebrow "okay, stupid question. Where's Commodore Puddles?" he asked instead, worriedly glancing around.

"I locked it in the bathroom so that it stopped being a pain. With food, don't worry. I bet he's eating like a pig, that's why you don't hear it barking."

"Oh, great," Drakken seemed relieved before he glanced at her more carefully "well, you're fine. No broken bones?"

"Nope," replied with a shrug, closing the door and sitting comfortably on the couch without waiting for him to tell her to – he did expect her to make herself home anyway – and choosing to not mention that her ankle still ached just a little and that she had a few bruises… though since she couldn't really tell which ones she had gotten from the robots and which ones were actually hickies from the previous night, she wasn't sure they counted. And she had no intention to think too much about the previous night anyway. "But you did a good job on those robots, I'll give you that. I could have figured out a way to beat them," she remarked "but they did catch me by surprise. Not bad, doc."

Drakken grinned proudly. "Yeah, aren't they great?" he asked proudly, sitting as well "and I built them all by myself!"

"Yeah, I knew that. But why with Dr. Director's face anyway?"

Drakken shifted a little uncomfortably. "I, uh… thought it fit. Since she's the head of GJ and all that."

"Uh-hu, sure," there was a glint of amusement in Shego's eyes "and that's all?"

"Yes, that's _all_!" Drakken exclaimed, a little too forcefully to be believable. Shego was about to add some other taunt, but she trailed off as a grumbling noise came from her stomach. After all, she hadn't even finished her breakfast that morning before leaving Gemini's room in a rush after he, well… said something he just shouldn't have said. She scowled a little at the thought, then she shook her head a little and tried to ignore it – last thing she wanted now was having to think about Gemini. She looked back at Drakken to see he was grinning a little, raising one of the grocery bags.

"Lunch?" he suggested, rather relieved to have found a way out from her questioning, and Shego agreed that yeah, having lunch wouldn't be that bad.

* * *

"… and then she signed the papers, which means my trial period is over and I won't have to be followed around by that stupid kid anymore, so _there_! And she also said-"

Shego smirked faintly as he spoke, toying with the idea to make him notice just how many times he had ended up talking about Dr. Director one way or another in not even twenty minutes – he didn't even seem to be aware of it as he kept rambling, which was one of the reasons why Shego found it so amusing. But before she could make some snarky remark about that, Drakken went on with some comment Dr. Director had made about Gemini during one of them and she suddenly hadn't felt like being snarky anymore… not at _him_, at least.

Even though she didn't exactly feel like even _thinking_ about Gemini now, she did feel some vicious satisfaction at badmouthing him as much as she could. Of course, she didn't mention the fact they had spent the night together – why should she? It wasn't like anything important had happened and it wasn't anyone's business but hers – but she hoped Drakken would refer everything embarrassing she told him about her boss to Dr. Director. It would serve him right!

"And… he really… really has a _purple_ bathrobe?" Drakken was laughing so hard at the mental image that his eyes were almost watering "to match his uniform? That's… that's…!" he didn't seem to find an appropriate word, so Shego helped him out.

"Even lamer than having a bunch of blue pajamas to match your skin," she suggested.

"Exactly! Even lamer than- hey!" Drakken frowned "it's not the same thing! A blue pajama is way better than a purple bathrobe! And all your stuff is black and green anyway!"

Well, Shego had to admit he did have a point. "Fine, then it's even lamer than having teddy bear with fake scar to match yours."

"Shego!" Drakken protested again.

"What? You've got to admit that it _is_ lame."

"Is not!"

Shego just raised an eyebrow. Drakken grunted, folding his arms with a frown. "And anyway, we weren't talking about Mr. Fuzzy. We were talking about Gemini's…" he paused and blinked "…wait. How do you _know_ what colour it is?" he asked, frowning a little. When she worked for him, it did happen quite a lot to him and Shego to bump in each other early in the morning still in their nightclothes, and it wasn't a rare sight to see Shego wearing her bathrobe while heading to the sauna or a swimsuit while in the tanning bed… but he would have expected people in WEE to be a lot more _formal_ than that.

She just shrugged. "I saw him wearing it when he gave us some orders through the screen," she lied smoothly… but she didn't expect Drakken's next question.

"Yes, but you told me that even his _slippers_ are white and purple. How do you know that?" he asked with a frown, then he blinked as he noticed that Shego seemed slightly unsettled for a moment before she recollected and tried to come up with a reply… which didn't come right away, and when she finally said that 'someone had told her' it was too late for Drakken to not wonder.

_Could it be…?_

He seemed a little unsettled by the thought for a moment or two, then a broad grin appeared on his face. "Is there something you're not telling me, Shego?" he asked, his voice dripping with satisfaction. It looked like it was _his_ turn to mock!

"Yes. I think the chicken tasted weird," she said, pushing her empty dish aside, but her attempt wasn't enough to distract him. Not that she had _really_ hoped to would – darn, when did he get smart anyway?

The grin on Drakken's face was so wide that his cheeks just had to hurt. Thinking he might have finally got an edge on her had to feel like finding out what his birthday was coming early. "Oh, really? Because you know, now that I think about it you talk about Gemini an awful lot."

Fine, she didn't like the direction that conversation was taking, she didn't like it at all… so she better change it _now_. "Oh, yeah? And what about you?" Shego reached to poke him "Dr. Director said this, Dr. Director did that, Dr. Director here and there," she mimicked his voice, pocking his shoulder at each word, a grin on her lips as his face turned almost purple. So she wasn't the only one who had something to hide, eh?

"Shego!"

"What? It's not my fault if you behave like you have a crush on your boss," she said, ignoring the part of her mind that seemed ready to snort at her last remark.

_Look who's talking._

"Do not!"

"Oooh, so that's why you're turning purple…!" she poked him again "you're almost the same shade as Gemini's bathrobe…"

Drakken looked like he wished the ground would swallow him, and Shego immediately felt a lot better. It looked like mocking him had some kind of therapeutic effect on her – maybe doctors should study it, she mused with a slight chuckle before she turned her attention back to him. She was really curious to find out just how deep the shade of purple on his face could get.

* * *

"Now I remember why I hate underwater lairs," Gamma muttered with a sigh as he finally walked back inside the base, struggling to get the oxygen tank off his back and almost stumbling over the flippers he was wearing. He was a rather funny sight, Shego mused with a small smirk while she looked at him over her magazine. At her left, Beta was laughing.

"Well, at least you won your fight against that vicious seaweed growing on the security cams," he mocked him a little "and don't look at me like that, it's not my fault if you got the short end of the stick. On the bright sides, it could have been worse."

"Oh, really? And how?" Gamma grunted.

"For starters, there could have been sharks," Beta said reasonably.

Gamma shuddered at the thought. "Fine, one for you," he said, looking a lot less grumpy as he went to change into a nice, _dry_ uniform. Beta chuckled again as he left and turned to Shego.

"Are there even sharks around here?"

Shego shrugged. "No idea. This is the first time I set foot in this base," she said, sounding just a little annoyed. It certainly wasn't the first time she had to move in another lair with very little notice, but it somehow annoyed her how Gemini hadn't told her beforehand: she had been informed the same moment as all other agents.

Gemini had said that the facility they were going to break into was on a small island relatively close to them and that if they stayed there it would be easier for them to hide quickly after they got what they were aiming for – several samples of Lowardian weapons that had been found among the remains of the spaceship and that several scientists were now studying in well protected locations such as that one.

Not that they were going to be well protected for long. Gemini had purchased some device that would cut off their power and thus deactivated their defences – very convenient, though it made missions a little too boring in her opinion. The plan itself was simple: as soon as their mole in the facility made sure they had no power, they'd set off with the jets, reach the island, take the weapons and then leave again to return to that lair: Gemini was pretty confident that, close as they were, they could be done with it before GJ even knew anything was wrong or had any time to send someone as reinforcements.

Yes, it was a very simple plan. So simple that he apparently hadn't even thought about telling her or anyone about it _before_ they got there, she thought in annoyance. Before that, he would always inform her of any plan beforehand and ask for her opinion… but now he didn't, and while it somehow relieved her not really having to face him too much lately – she was still pretty angry at him for being that obnoxious that morning they had woken up in the same darn bed – it still irked her how he kept _avoiding_ her. In the past few days he had never spoken to her directly or alone: it would be always through the interphone, or when some other agents were there. Looks like that idiot is scared, she thought sarcastically.

_Or maybe he just doesn't care. Why should he?_

_No, he's just scared. He would be treating me just like before if he didn't._

_So you think he does care, right?_

Shego frowned a little at the thought. Yes, did she think he could value what had happened at least a little? She finally snorted. Even if he did she definitely _didn't_, so there was no reason at all to be anything but relieved by the fact he-

She was snapped from her thoughts by a rumbling indicating that the base was resurfacing. Moments later, Gemini's voice came from the interphone. "Everybody but Beta and Gamma in the hangar," he said "be ready to take off at my signal."

"Speak of the devil," Shego muttered, throwing the magazine aside and getting up. She cracked her knuckles and smirked a little – maybe beating the crap out of someone would improve her mood.

"Good luck!" she heard Beta calling after her, and she just waved without even turning to look at him. It was such a simple mission that nothing could go wrong.

* * *

And in fact, nothing did. To their credit those guys _did_ have people capable to fight in there, but they were not nearly enough to protect the weapons efficiently once the security defences had been deactivated. After what it felt not even ten minutes after they reached the island – it had to be more, but time passes quickly when you have fun – Shego was watching the other WEE agents storing the weapons into the jets after kicking everyone who was in the facility into the water.

Good thing they can swim, she thought with a chuckle as she watched them swimming to a small island not very far from there before she turned to see a guy walking towards her. He was taking a lab coat off himself, revealing the WEE uniform underneath. "So you're our mole, uh?" she asked.

"Yes. Agent Zeta," he said, as if Shego couldn't read the letter on his chest.

"Yeah, great. Get in the jet, we're leaving."

Zeta hesitated. "I… still have something to get done," he said "can we delay just one more minute?"

Shego shrugged, not really knowing what he wanted to do – maybe get something to eat from the pantry? – and not caring either. "Sure, just be back in a minute."

"Of course," Zeta nodded quickly and turned to rush in the main room to carry on his little plan. He was sure Gemini would be pleased of him… and he would surely move up in rank if he could make sure GJ would be there when the fireworks happened.

* * *

"And you got nothing but a request for reinforcements? No information on the reason of their request?" Dr. Director asked with a small frown. The agent in front of her nodded.

"Yes, Dr. Director. We tried to contact them again, but no use – there is no reply. All surveillance cameras seem to be out of service," he added, anticipating her question "do you think…?"

"Maybe. So far, it does sound a lot like a trap," Dr. Director frowned a little "but we can't just ignore it. I'll go to see what's happening personally."

Agent Simmons seemed taken aback. "But we could send… er…" he paused.

"Nobody," Dr. Director finished for him. It was a busy day: apparently, Dementor and Electronique had teamed up the same day Motor Ed and some other villain she could barely even recall dealing with before – Adrena Lynn, maybe? – had decided to cause some havoc somewhere in New Jersey, and stopping them was taking the efforts of their best agents while most of the others were busy in ordinary missions around the globe. That request for reinforcement couldn't have happened in a worse moment. "You better stay here in case something else happens," she added.

"But if it really turns out to be a trap…!"

"Do you think I can't handle it myself?" she asked a little coldly. Not that she was really annoyed because he was worrying, but it was the quickest way to end that discussion quickly and get down to business.

"Er… no, it's not that, of course," he said quickly "but maybe you shouldn't go alone."

Dr. Director reached for the interphone. "Of course I'm not going alone," she said before pressing the button "Lipsky?" she called, causing agent Simmons to blink – what kind of help could _he_ give her?

"Uh?" Drakken's voice came from the other side "is it Coco… er, Code C-M time already?"

For some reason agent Simmons couldn't fathom, Dr. Director smirked a little before replying. "No, it's not. I require your assistance on a mission. Are the robots' prototypes still in the lab?"

"Four of them, yes," was the reply "one was taken to start duplicating it."

"Four will suffice. Be in the hangar in five minutes, and bring the robots with you. We might need them again."

"Alright!" Drakken seemed almost impatient to get some action again – being stuck in the lab could probably get boring after a while – then he seemed to hesitate. "Is it something about WEE this time too?"

"I have no idea," Dr. Director said "maybe. All I know is that something is wrong in the facility with the biggest storage of Lowardian weapons in the globe, and if those weapons fall in the wrong hands…" she didn't finish the sentence, but Drakken seemed to have grasped how bad the situation was.

"Fine, that sounds bad," he muttered, clearly not looking forward to have to face Lowardian technology too soon "in the hangar, right? I'll be there in a minute."

"And, Lipsky?"

"What?"

"The flight could take you a while. Bring you-know-what."

Drakken suddenly sounded a lot more enthusiastic about the whole thing.

* * *

While observing him telling the agents to put the Lowardian weapons in the storage room, Shego was pretty sure that if Gemini's grin got any larger his face muscles would just cramp. She chuckled a little at the thought – he would be a rather funny sight if he were forced to keep that expression for a while – before she forced herself to turn serious again. She was still mad at him, she reminded herself… and the fact he was _still_ ignoring her didn't make it any better.

They had barely exchanged a few words, and only concerning the missions… exactly like before anything ever happened, or after the days that had followed their first kiss, and she was starting to get tired of it. Fine, it was the way the leader of a worldwide evil organization was _supposed_ to behave with an agent, but it was _still_ annoying. It wasn't like they had nothing to say to each other. At the contrary, they had plenty of stuff to discuss about, and the way he kept avoiding it – avoiding _her_ – irked her to no end.

_So much for not caring._

_I don't care._

_Yeah, right._

Shego snorted a little. Of course she didn't really care, not enough to be _hurt_ in any way by it. She was just… annoyed as heck, that was all. Then again, what was there she could do? Trying to talk to him about it was simply out of question: there was just no way in hell she could just address the subject out of the blue without sounding stupid. She wished he would at least give her a _reason_ to be angry so that she could just yell at him and tell him exactly what she thought of-

She was suddenly snapped by her thoughts by Beta's voice coming from the other side of the main room. "Sir, I just intercepted a message of GJ to the facility you attacked. Seems like they're sending someone to the facility we broke into – your… I mean, their leader seems to be leading them. There are Drak… I mean, Lipsky and some of the robots we faced already, too."

Shego smirked a little at the thought – it looked like Drakken was getting on the field more often than he would have expected when he had joined… and was it really just him and Dr. Director other than the robots? Maybe he wasn't _too_ dumb after all.

"Excellent!" Gemini grinned broadly, as if that already successful mission had turned out even better "I can't wait to see her face when she sees that the weapons are gone with us. Send some fly-on-the-wall cams there, I wouldn't want to miss _that_. It's going to be memorable!"

"Even more than what you think, sir," Zeta muttered with what he hoped was a disturbing evil grin – he had been working a lot on that grin, and now that his little initiative was turning out to be successful he wanted it to be perfect "I left them a little surprise before we returned to the base."

Gemini turned to look at him. "A surprise?" he asked. Even though the thought one of his agents had been thoughtful enough to make sure his sister's defeat would burn even more, there was something in his words that sent an odd shiver down his spine. "What kind of surprise, agent Zeta?"

There it was, his great moment. Zeta smirked and straightened himself. "I put a bomb in the facility while working there as a mole, and I had the countdown starting right before we left. There is plenty of time for GJ agents to reach the base before it explodes, and when it will it will destroy everyone inside. And if their leader is going there, looks like GJ will be headless soon. Let's see how much it lasts… without…" his voice suddenly grew weaker before he finally stopped talking as Gemini kept staring at him in silence rather than congratulating him… and the others were all silent too, agent Alpha even looking paler than usual. What was the matter? That was their chance to destroy GJ, really destroy it, and it was all because of him…!

"You what?" Gemini finally asked quietly, breaking the dead silence "what is it you just said?"

Zeta shifted uncomfortably under his deadly glare, and for the first time he wondered if trying too hard to please him hadn't been a mistake. "I… put a bomb in the facility," he repeated "I set the countdown when we left so that it would set off more or less by the time GJ got here, so now we could destroy its elite agents all at once if we're lucky and… and… what?" he whimpered, terrified to see how furious Gemini suddenly looked.

"You do know, of course, that the head of GJ happens to be my sister, don't you?" he snarled, taking a step forward, and Zeta took a step back. None of the agents dared to speak, and Shego could only stare dumbly at the scene.

Zeta was shaking now. "But… but I thought you hated her!" he blurted out "everyone knows you hate her!"

Gemini's scowl deepened. "I do," he said forcefully "I hate her more than anyone else in the world. And you know what it means? It means she's _mine_ to deal with. Nobody harms the ones I hate but _me_!" he barked, and Zeta actually shrieked and tried to run away. He didn't go far, though – a trapdoor immediately opened beneath his feet and he plunged down, the trapdoor closing on his scream.

"You!" Gemini shouted, turning to Beta "scan the facility and find the bomb!"

Beta winced and immediately turned back to the computer, typing something so quickly that to Shego it looked like he was pressing random keys. "Here!" he exclaimed after a few moments,his eyes fixed on some diagrams "it's in the main room!"

"Can you deactivate it from here?"

Beta tried for a few minutes, then he shook his head. "Negative, sir," he said, looking rather pale – Shego couldn't tell if it was because he couldn't deactivate the bomb or because he feared Gemini's reaction about that "the bomb doesn't seem to be connected to any kind of computer in the base that we can access from outside. I can try to find out what the deactivating code is by accessing agent Zeta's files and find out which bomb he took from our arsenal, but someone would have to use it on the bomb directly."

Gemini cursed under his breath, mentally kicking himself for disposing of agent Zeta so quickly – now his memory was most likely being erased already and he would be of no help. Unless they deactivated the bomb by putting the deactivating code in it, the whole place would blow up with most of GJ agents inside… probably including his sister, and that certainly wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to defeat and humiliate her, of course, but she had to be _alive_ to see he had won: getting her killed certainly wasn't in his plans. And then there was their mother – what would he say to their mother should Betty actually _die_? As much as he hated to acknowledge it, the thought chilled him to the bones. "You… find out what the code is," he barked at Beta, his mind fumbling to find a solution.

"We must warn them," Shego heard herself saying, feeling an unfamiliar sense of coldness in her guts "we can't just stand here without doing anything to stop it."

He gritted his teeth. "Why not? It means I could finally get my little sister out of my way after all!" he exclaimed, but he was already reaching for his cell phone and trying to recall under what name he had saved Betty's number. Was it Dumb Baby Sister or Pain In The Neck?

"It seems pretty obvious you _don't_ really want that," Shego said, looking somewhat amused as she watched him fumbling with his cell phone. He glared at her, but he said nothing as he brought the cell phone to his ear. He stayed still for a few moments, and Shego knew something was wrong as she watched him grimacing before he crushed the cell phone in his mechanical hand with a frustrated growl.

"She must have put my number on the reject list," he said, his features twisted in a furious scowl "she's so _childish_…!"

"You could have tried to make an anonymous call before you crushed that cell phone," Shego snapped, suddenly regretting she hadn't brought her own cell phone with her – she should have just ignored Gemini's dumb rule that forbid agents to bring cell phones on missions.

He snorted. "It would be useless, she automatically rejects anonymous calls too since when I made her some prank calls."

Shego drew in a deep breath to keep herself from pointing out he definitely had no right to define _anyone_ 'childish' at that point. "Can't we try to communicate with them in _any_ other way? We have plenty of technology to use!" she said sharply, a hint of urgency finally breaking in her voice. If only she had bothered learning Dr. D's new number by memory…!

_With no phones, it would be pretty useless to begin with._

"Those GJ idiots made sure we wouldn't be able to get into their communication network so easily," Gemini snorted "we can intercept something from time to time, but not _send_ anything. We could bypass the blocks, but it would take too much time, and we don't have the technology we need to do so here anyway…" his voice almost faded, and for a moment he looked oddly lost at the thought there was nothing he could do to warn his sister of the mortal danger.

Shego gave a frustrated growl and hit the closest wall, plasma igniting from her clenched fist, and Gemini didn't even seem to acknowledge her reaction. She stared at the smoking hole in the wall for a few moments, then her expression suddenly changed, as if she had just realized something. "I could get back in time if I take a jet."

"What? Gemini blinked and turned to glance at Shego, who was now staring at him, her lips pulled in a tight line, her arms folded.

"I said I could get back in time to deactivate the bomb if I take a jet now. I'm pretty good at piloting– I'm sure I can make it in time and then get away before GJ even gets there."

He hesitated just for a moment, briefly considering the idea before scowling. One thing was trying to warn his sister and her men about a mortal danger, but actually sending his top agent there and putting her at risk of being caught or worse just to save his baby sister's butt was a whole other thing. They were enemies, and he _hated_ her – he wasn't supposed to help her out, not if that meant he risked losing his… well, his agent Alpha. "What makes you think I _want_ anyone to deactivate the bomb so badly?" he said "I don't care if-"

Shego rolled her eyes – she had had enough with his 'I'm so bad and I don't care' attitude. "Oh, _please_. Neither of us wants that place to really blow up with all the GJ do-gooders in it – you don't want your sister to get killed, and I don't want Drakken to get killed. So how about just giving me the keys of that stupid jet and letting me go to deactivate that darn bomb? I don't feel like spending the weekend looking for an appropriate attire to wear at a funeral, do you?" she asked sarcastically, feeling as if someone had just hit her in the stomach at the thought Drakken could actually die. Dr. D, dying? It seemed so out of the world that she could barely bring herself to believe it _could_ happen.

Gemini scowled and shifted uncomfortably, biting his lower lip hard enough to nearly draw blood, then he seemed to recollect and straightened himself. "Agent Alpha, _I_ give the orders here," he finally said, coldly glaring at her "I don't have to remind you, do I? I am your leader!"

Shego gritted her teeth, her hands clenching into fists as she tried to fight back the urge to blast him – that stubborn _idiot_…! She opened her mouth and she was about to shout that she would take that jet and deactivate the bomb with or without his help and that he better start looking for another agent Alpha if he tried to stop her, but before she could speak Gemini walked past her and to the hangar. "… and _I_ get to pilot this time," he muttered, causing her to blink and turn to look at him.

"What?"

Gemini stopped in his tracks and glanced at her over his shoulder. "Agent Alpha, I'm afraid I can't trust the competence of my agents in a situation such as this one. I have to carry on this operation personally – and I'll need… I mean, I require your assistance. I can assure you'll be getting a very generous extra with your next pay check if you assist me well," he added, a small grin on his lips.

Shego found herself grinning back before she quickly walked up to him. "Yeah, I should hope so," she said a little jokingly as they quickly got into the hangar "are you sure you want to be the pilot?"

"One-hundred percent sure," Gemini muttered, sitting inside and starting the engine after giving the order through the interphone to bring the base back to surface and open the ceiling to let the jet set off "it's been a while since last time I piloted anything else but the helicopter anyway. You've been getting all the fun lately."

She raised an eyebrow as she sat next to him. "Oh, really?"

"Really," Gemini replied, pushing another button and impatiently looking up at the ceiling as if finally began to open "just think of all the times you got to-" he trailed off as Shego suddenly reached to turn his face to hers and pressed her lips on his just for a few instants, efficiently silencing him. He just gaped at her for a few more moments as she broke the kiss and leant back against the seat with a shrug.

"Here, just a little reminder. Now you can't complain on how I got _all_ the fun," she smirked smugly.

"That was a rather brief reminder," he commented, finally starting to grin.

Shego's smug smirk widened. "It will have to be enough until we get back to the base."

He chuckled, still grinning a little as the jet took off. "Fine, one for you. But I'll be piloting on our way back too."

Shego just leant more comfortably on the seat. "Whatever you say, boss. So, we're on to save the do-gooders, uh?" she said a little mockingly, fully knowing it would annoy him to no end. It was a bit like reminding Drakken he was about to save the world during the Lowardian invasion, she mused.

Predictably enough, Gemini snorted. "Don't remind me."


	14. Close call

_A/N: this chapter turned out much longer than expected, but I guess it shouldn't surprise anyone anymore _XD _Hopefully, the epilogue won't be this darn long._

_

* * *

_

"Looks like there's nobody in yet," Gemini said, relief clearly showing in his voice as he landed the jet on the landing area – Shego had to admit he made a pretty good pilot, though she knew she could have done better – and turned off the engine.

"That's great. We better hope that nobody gets here for another while," she said before flipping out of the jet as soon as the roof opened and leaping on the floor of the landing area "and that the bomb waits another while before setting off. It would kind of suck being blown into bits."

"One good reason why we better move rather than stay here to chat," Gemini muttered, walking to the door that led inside. If anything they didn't have to worry about locked doors – most of them had been blown up during the earlier attack.

They didn't speak as they walked inside, both of them walking quickly and trying to not let the nervousness show. "In the main room, you said?" Gemini asked aloud as they finally reached the main room. It had been damaged by the fight that had happened there, but not too much: most guards had already been defeated before the WEE agents reached that point.

"Affirmative, sir," Beta's voice came from a receiver on the wrist of his mechanical hand "under a panel beneath the main computer. It should be on your left."

Shego frowned. "Why under the main computer?" she wondered aloud "it must have been a pain putting a bomb there without being noticed – shouldn't there be plenty of other places where he could hide the bomb without too much trouble?"

"Whatever was going on in that idiot's brain is non of my concern," Gemini said grimly as he walked to the main computer and crouched on the ground. He hit the metallic floor until he heard the dull noise indicating there was an empty space beneath – it looked like that idiot had even gotten through the trouble of welding the panel back in place to arise no suspects. Hadn't he screwed up so badly, Gemini could have almost admired him. "Agent Alpha…!" he began, but he had no time to finish: a blast of plasma narrowly missed his head – probably scorching some of his hair off – and hit the panel, literally fusing it.

"Watch it!" Gemini protested, reaching to run a hand through his hair to make sure there hadn't been too much damage, but Shego was ignoring him and examining the bomb already. It looked pretty much harmless, but Shego knew all too well how devastating even small bombs could be: you don't spend years working as a sidekick for a supervillain without learning a thing or two. It was a small black thing with a blinking red light and a number pad on its side. Nothing else, not even a screen showing any kind of countdown on it, which made her even more nervous: for all she knew, it could be just about to set off and turn both her and Gemini to dust.

"Ask Beta if he found the deactivating code already," she told him with some urgency. Gemini seemed to remember that they better lose no time, for he stopped complaining and spoke in the receiver on his wrist.

"Beta, do you have the code, yet?"

"Affirmative, sir," Beta replied, to his utter relief "it didn't take much to find out which bomb Zeta took and find the right code in our database-"

"The _code_, agent Beta!" Gemini snapped impatiently. Didn't that idiot realize that they had no time to lose?

"Er…of course, sir. It's 5-2-9-4-7-1-3-8. Press the asterisk once you're done."

Shego quickly typed the code, but she paused before pressing the asterisk – which she suppose would confirm the code. "Are you _sure_ it's the right one?" she asked, a bit nervously despite her attempts to seem calm. But what the hell, if that wasn't the right one they would be obliterated the moment she pressed that button, and it wasn't a nice thought.

Gemini seemed to share her worries. "Agent Beta, are you certain…?"

"Yes, sir. Both Gamma and I checked thrice – we're absolutely certain that's the right code," Beta's voice sounded surer than Shego could remember it sounding, and she was almost reassured by it. Almost.

_If it's the wrong code, Adam, I'm going to crawl my way back to the land of the living to kick your ass to no end._

She glanced up to see that Gemini was staring at her. "This is the first time I put my life in someone else's hands like this," he said quietly, almost thoughtfully, and Shego was suddenly reminded of when he had told her how he didn't care if his agents despised him as long as they did their job. Now she could see what he was afraid of, even more than he could be scared of their incompetence – he was afraid that Beta could give him the wrong code on purpose to get rid of him. Shego guessed she could have shared his worries if it wasn't for one fact – she knew agent Beta, or she thought she did… and she didn't think he would do something like that. Not really.

She finally gave Gemini a small smile. "You sound like you're scared, boss," she said. She had expected him to deny, but he grimaced.

"I'd be an idiot if I weren't," he muttered instead "don't tell me you're not. Afraid, I mean, not an idiot."

Well, Shego had to admit he kind of had a point. "Yeah, I guess I don't really feel peachy either, but…" she turned to glance at the door "you could get out of here, boss. It only takes one person to press a button."

"What?" Gemini stared at her as if she had just gone insane "I'm not moving from here, agent Alpha! You leave this place if you feel like it – I'll finish what we started," he said stubbornly, folding his arms and glaring at her as if challenging her to say otherwise.

Shego smiled. "That's kinda what I hoped to hear. So… ready to find out if we get the best places to see the fireworks?"

He bit his lower lip. "Yes," he finally said before he glanced up at her again. "Agent Alpha?"

"Yes?"

Gemini hesitated for a moment, then he shook his head. "Nothing. Press that button."

For a moment Shego wasn't sure whether she should be just amused or also disappointed – why disappointed anyway? What the heck had she expected him to say? – then she just settled for mild amusement before glancing down at the bomb again. She supposed they still had some… stuff to discuss about, but it wasn't the moment to think about it. There would be time to do that later, given that there would be a _later_ for them.

_Well, there's only one way to find out._

True enough, Shego thought. She held her breath and pressed the button.

* * *

"Hey, isn't that a WEE jet?" Drakken muttered, glancing down to the landing area of the base.

Dr. Director nodded, her only eye fixed on the black WEE jet. "It is," she muttered, pressing a few buttons so that their hover jet would keep hovering in the air right above the facility. Drakken gave her a puzzled glance.

"Aren't we going to land?"

She shook her head. "Not if we can take whoever is still in there by surprise," she said. She reached to press a button, and a panel opened to reveal a few jetpacks. "You know how to use those, don't you?"

"Uh… yes. Kind of," Drakken said, trying to not think of that time he had activated one to escape after that failure with the Bebes – he had ended up with his head stuck in the roof until the police had come to arrest him, and they had had quite a lot of fun at his expenses. The thought of failing that epically while trying to fly from a jet to a facility in the middle of the ocean and in front of Dr. Director didn't exactly appeal him.

"Good," Dr. Director was already putting on her jetpack "you'll stay on the landing area – you and the robots – and wait for them to come outside. There can't be more than a few people if they came with only that one jet. The robots should be enough to take care of them."

"Oh. Great," Drakken relaxed a little – that sounded like something he could so without messing up… mainly because it would be his robots to do the actual work – before frowning slightly "what about you?"

"I'll go inside," Dr. Director gave the vocal order for the roof of the hover jet to open before she went on "I'm sure I can handle them. I'll try to force them to the exit."

"Are you sure you don't want a robot to come with you?" Drakken asked a little anxiously, and she was taken aback by the realization that he was actually worried for her. It took her some effort to not smile and keep her tone professional and detached.

"There is no need for that, believe me. Besides, we have to be sure to stop them before they can leave. Completely blocking their only way out is the safest way, and the more robots are there to do so, the better."

Good point, Drakken thought, but still… "I'm not going to bring you any cocoa moo if you wind up in the hospital," he said without thinking, only to bite his tongue a second later. To his relief, thought, Dr. Director seemed amused rather than annoyed.

"Is that your own way to tell me to be careful?"

He grinned a little sheepishly. "Guess so."

"Don't worry, I will," was all Dr. Director said before she activated her jetpack "now let's go."

* * *

For a long second after Shego pressed the button nothing happened and for a moment Gemini wondered if the bomb was non-functioning after all. Then there was a sudden, loud beeping sound, and for a terrible instant he just _knew_ the bomb was about to set off… and then, finally, the sound ceased and the red, blinking light turned green and then was shut off. The bomb had been deactivated.

Gemini let out a long breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding and wiped his forehead with his sleeve – he couldn't remember sweating that much in _years_. "Well, damn," he murmured, getting up from his crouched position and grimacing as his knees protested a little.

"Yeah, I couldn't have said it better," Shego smirked and was about to get up, then she noticed something she hadn't seen at first on the bomb. She reached to grab it, and her blood seemed to turn into ice in her veins as she saw a small wire that connected the bomb to… to what? She glanced down at the mess of wires beneath the bomb. "Boss, I think we may have a prob-" she trailed off with a gasp as the floor suddenly began to shake under their feet and something exploded somewhere in the facility.

"What the…?" Gemini yelled as the floor kept shaking, the painfully loud wailing of a siren ringing across the whole building and causing him to wince and cover his ears.

"The self-destruction mechanism!" Shego growled, tossing the bomb back on the ground "he must have made sure it would be triggered if someone deactivated the bomb!"

"Why in the world couldn't he use his competence to do something _useful_?" Gemini shouted, ignoring the fact that it would be logical assuming that he would think that making a building blow up with the head of GJ inside would be a good idea… and he probably would have thought so as well if it wasn't for the detail he wanted his annoying little sister to stay _alive_.

"Well, at least we deactivated the bomb," Shego said, quickly getting up.

"But this place is _still_ going to blow up!"

"Yeah, but GJ isn't here yet and it's darn clear this place is going to blow – they won't be in here to be taken by surprise unless they have suicidal tendencies, and I doubt that. The good guys are safe, whoo-hoo. Now we better-"

Whatever she was about to say was covered by a violent rumbling noise as the central computer suddenly exploded. Gemini yelled a curse as the explosion caused the whole building to shake, part of the ceiling to collapse and at least s couple of walls to _shatter_. He lost his balance and heavily fell on his back, hitting the back of his head against the cold, steel floor. Spots danced in front of his eyes – his only eye – for a few moments, then everything began to turn black, and he suddenly found it awfully difficult to focus on anything.

* * *

"Oh, _snaps_," Drakken muttered, his eyes widening as the explosion tore apart the east side of the facility and made the whole thing shake. The landing area shook a little as well, though much less than the rest of the building, but Drakken barely noticed. His grip on the robots' remote control – after the Bebe's rebellion, he wasn't going to keep any kind of deadly robot close to him if he couldn't deactivate them in a moment – tightened as another explosion shook the whole place.

What was going on there? Was it a trap? Had someone mined the place, or… what? He swallowed nervously, wondering where Dr. Director was and if the explosion might have wounded her. He was no newbie when it came to facilities and lairs blowing up, quite the contrary, and that wasn't even the worst he had witnessed or been involved into… still, it worried him so much more than any other explosion he could remember.

…and why wasn't Dr. Director coming outside yet?

Drakken turned to look at the robots, unsure. They were all standing motionless and ready to block the path to whoever tried to get out, as Dr. Director had ordered, but wouldn't _that_ call for a change of plans? What if she was hurt, maybe _badly_ hurt? In that case helping her out would be more important than keeping some WEE agents from escaping, wouldn't it?

But what about the Lowardian weapons?

"Who _cares_ about those!" Drakken almost yelled, but he didn't move from his spot, mostly because he wasn't sure he wanted to know what would happen to him if Dr. Director actually went mad at him for leaving his position and letting… whoever was in the facility get away. Then again…!

He hesitated for another moment before gritting his teeth. A few more minutes, he decided. He would wait there for a few more minutes, and if she didn't show up by then he would get inside with the robots and look for her. The hell with the plan.

* * *

They must have mined the place, Dr. Director thought as she leant against a wall and coughed, the smoke making it awfully difficult for her to breathe. Or maybe they were dumb enough to press the self-destruction button, maybe by accident – after all, no idiot would make a place blow up on purpose while still inside, and she was pretty sure nobody had gotten out… at least not before the first few explosions: after those, the smoke and fire had made it incredibly difficult to even find her way in the maze of rooms and hallways and anyone could have slipped past her easily enough.

_I'm not going to get anything useful done like this. I better get back outside and wait with Lipsky for- _

"Agent Alpha!"

She immediately turned to her left as she faintly heard someone shouting over the explosions and the rumbling noise that seemed to be coming from somewhere under the building. That voice was familiar, so very familiar…

"That's an order, damn you – don't you dare…!" The voice reached her ears again, and this time she had no doubt over who its owner was.

"Gemini," Dr. Director said quietly, a worried frown on her face. There was something odd in her brother's voice, something awfully close to… fear?

_What the hell is going on? Is he hurt?_

She tried to take a few steps towards his voice, but another explosion happened dreadfully close to her, maybe in the next room, and for a moment Dr. Director almost panicked before her sharp, practical mind took charge again. She leapt forward and rolled across the floor as the wall behind her shattered, narrowly avoiding all the debris.

_That was close, too close. You must get out of here_

_Not yet. I have to find him._

_It's too dangerous!_

_Sheldon is in here. He could be wounded, he could-_

Dr. Director was snapped from her concerned thoughts as she heard him muttering a curse – closer, this time, in one of the nearby hallways – and then she heard the sound of someone running down a hallway somewhere on her right. He was running to the exit, she realized, which meant he wasn't wounded after all… not seriously anyway. Her concern vanished and she got back on her feet with a scowl on her face before she began heading to the exit as well, following the faint echo of his steps.

_You're not getting away this time, Gemini._

_

* * *

_

Later that day, had he had any energy to think about what had happened, Gemini would have come to the conclusion that he hadn't passed out only because of sheer willpower. He had hit his head pretty violently and for a moment he had just been about to let himself fall into nothingness, so the only reason why he hadn't died that day crushed under the remains of a facility in the middle of the Pacific Ocean was that he had _known_ that if he allowed himself to pass out he would die like a trapped rat… and that definitely was not the kind of end he would have chosen if he could.

_Don't even try to pass out here! Do you want them to get you? Do you want to take a nap while the whole building collapses on you?_

"Hell, no!" Gemini growled as that thought echoed in his brain like a shout, dragging him back to consciousness… if he _had_ been unconscious, at least for more than a few instants. It was hard to tell. He finally grunted and rose on his elbows. He shook his head, trying to somehow get rid of his dizziness and blinked a few times to focus his surroundings, finally realizing that the spots he had seen weren't spots at all – it was fire. The machines in the room, the control panels, the screens, the wires… everything was burning.

"I should have killed that idiot when I had a chance…!" he snarled, struggling to get back on his feet and rubbing the back of his head, grimacing as he felt the stinging bump under his fingers "should have killed him _painfully_," he muttered darkly before he glanced at the rest of the burning room, and he frowned as he realized agent Alpha was nowhere to be seen. Where was she? Had she escaped leaving him behind? No, she hadn't, she couldn't have – he refused to believe it!

"Agent Alpha!" he called out "agent Alpha, where in the-" he trailed off, whatever he was about to say dying in his throat as he finally spotted her.

Shego was laying on her back the floor, her legs covered by debris, but it wasn't that to make his blood run cold. She was breathing heavily, her eyes wide and unfocused, her hands grasping a large shard of metal sticking from her stomach. She tried to speak, but all that came from her mouth was a gurgling noise before she coughed up some blood. "Agent Alpha!" Gemini cried out, crouching next to her, and it was with dawning horror that he realized she was bleeding profusely from the gaping wound on her stomach.

"Damn," Shego hissed through clenched teeth. She tried to lift her head to look at the damage, but she could barely lift her upper body before a wave of agonizing pain shot through her, making her nearly scream. Her head fell back on the ground and she clenched her jaw, his eyes tightly shut, breathing heavily. "This is… not good," she heard herself muttering. She struggled to open her eyes, but now it felt incredibly difficult to do so, and she was also starting to feel terribly dizzy. She knew that passing out now, inside a building that was collapsing and on fire was not a good idea, but the dizziness made the pain duller and somewhat distant, and it didn't feel that bad… not at all. It was a relief.

"Agent Alpha? Agent Alpha, wake up! That's an order, damn you – don't you _dare_…!" Gemini trailed off, realizing shouting wouldn't solve anything. Even if she stayed awake, there was no way she could stand up… let alone escape. He gritted his teeth. "I _knew_ getting back here was a bad idea," he muttered as he reached for the shard of metal in her stomach. For a moment he was about to pull it out, but he stopped himself just in time: for all he knew that darn thing could be the only thing keeping her form bleeding out to death in a minute. If he removed it from the wound now, he could end up causing even more damage – she needed a doctor to do that. She needed a doctor _quickly_.

"You… agreed to get here," she reminded him weakly, slipping out of consciousness already while Gemini quickly pushed the debris off her.

"Yes, fine, whatever. Now save your breath," he snapped at her as he took her limp body in his arms and got back on his feet. He didn't stop one moment to think that she would slow him down in his escape or that, had it been any other of his agents, he would have left them behind. He didn't even stop to acknowledge the blood that was quickly reddening the white front of his uniform: all he could think as he ran to the exit was that he had to get her out of there and to a doctor _now_.

At the end of the first hallway Gemini stopped running for a few moments and coughed, the smoke making it difficult for him to breathe. He had to squint as he tried to see through the smoke and fire, looking for the exit. In his arms Shego groaned and moved a little, cringing in pain at any little movement. "Don't move," Gemini told her, trying his best to sound reassuring, his throat tightening as he looked down at her to see some blood running down from the corner of her mouth "you'd… only make it worse. Don't move."

Shego drew in a shaky breath and gazed up at him with dazed eyes. "Boss?" she murmured, sounding vaguely surprised, as if barely even aware of what had happened. She looked oddly confused and, for the first time, vulnerable. That frightened Gemini even more than the wound itself.

"Don't speak," he told her, desperately trying to see anything past the smoke and dust and flames – damn, where was the exit? Where the hell was it? "We'll get out of here in a minute," he heard himself speaking again, maybe more to himself than to her as he tried to not panic "don't you even dare to die. You're fired if you do, you…" he added, barely even realizing how ridiculous that threat was, then his voice died in his throat as her body went limp once more in his arms.

For a dreadful instant he was _sure_ she had to be dead. His breath caught in his chest and his knees suddenly felt too weak to support him, and he probably would have just collapsed forgetting completely that the whole place was one fire if he didn't hear, over the explosions somewhere else in the facility and the roaring of the flames, that she was drawing in a few convulsed breaths. Gemini glanced down at her and released the breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding when he realized that she had simply passed out – she was _alive_.

_Not for long, if you don't get her the hell out of here._

Gemini gritted his teeth and took a few steps to his left before glancing around again. For a few moments he could still see nothing, then a part of the ceiling behind him caved in and some of the smoke dissipated a little through the new opening, and he finally could see something on the other side of the room – there was the exit! He adjusted his grip on Shego so he wouldn't have to move her any more than necessary and began to run again, heading for the landing area, drawing in deep breaths now that the smoke was less oppressive and trying to not think what could happen if the landing area had been blown up already and his jet wasn't there anymore.

He angrily shook his head to chase away the thought. But _of course_ it would be there! If anything there could be some GJ idiots around given that they had gotten there already – so what? He would take them down, and the he would use the jet to bring agent Alpha in the only place where she could be safe and get her-

"What the…?" Gemini abruptly stopped running as he saw four deadly-looking robots blocking his path to the landing area, their lifeless red eyes staring at him. They were now pretty much faceless, but it wasn't too hard to recognize them – those were the same robots they had faced when they had attempted to kidnap Dr. Renton back in Middleton. He took a step back, still panting for the effort, and he scowled as he saw someone standing behind the robots, right on the door – Drakken. Or Drew Lipsky, as everyone apparently referred to him now.

"Game over!" Drakken exclaimed, looking extremely pleased with himself despite the disappointment upon realizing it wasn't Dr. Director that was getting out "Dr. Director was right, you would _really_ try to get back to-" whatever he was about to say next died in his throat as finally saw whose limp body Gemini was holding. "Shego!" Drakken stuttered, his skin suddenly turning a paler shade of blue "but what… how… what did you do to her?" he shouted, his confusion turning into anger.

"Me? I didn't do anything, she was caught in an explosion, and… and… don't just stand there, you _idiot_," the leader of WEE snapped at him, his teeth gritted "deactivate your stupid robots and get out of my way! I have no time to lose!"

The blue skinned scientist kept starting at his former sidekick, a look of utter horror on his face as he saw the blood coming from the gaping wound in her stomach where the shard of metal was still sticking out and staining the front of Gemini's uniform. "Is… is she…?" he babbled, unable to even utter the question.

"No, dammit, but she'll be if I don't bring her where she can get help _now_. Let us out!" Gemini barked, his only eye scanning the room to find a way out, but there was no way out other than the door that the robots Drakken controlled were blocking. For a moment he considered using his mechanical hand to fight them off, but the idea was quickly discarded – he wouldn't manage to cause them any damage, and engaging a fight could end up hurting further agent Alpha. He just held Shego's limp body closer to his chest and furiously glared at Drakken. "Are you deaf? I told you to _let us out_!" he nearly screamed, and this time there wasn't just rage in his voice – there was also something else, something much closer to _panic_.

Drakken winced, his widened eyes still fixed on Shego, then his fingers began fumbling on the remote to deactivate the robots that were blocking door.

"What do you think you're _doing_, Lipsky?"

Drakken froze and stared up at someone behind Gemini, who growled and turned to face his sister. "You," he nearly snarled.

Dr. Director, who had been glaring daggers at him, stopped in her tracks as he saw he was carrying the apparently lifeless body of his agent Alpha. She was terribly pale – even paler than usual – and she was bleeding from a deep wound on her stomach from which a shard of metal was sticking out. Blood was staining the front of Gemini's uniform as well, but he looked fine, so he supposed it was only agent Alpha's. The surprise wasn't enough to make her drop her guard, but it still unsettled her. "What…?"

"She's hurt!" Drakken exclaimed, looking at Dr. Director with indescribable anguish "_badly_ hurt. He has to bring her somewhere safe – she needs _help_!" he looked at her almost hopefully, holding the remote tightly.

Dr. Director hesitated, then she shook her head and scowled, still glaring at her brother. "No," she said "I'm not letting him get away. We can provide her help as well and-"

"But the rest of the building is on fire, it's impossible to land anywhere but here! And he's got a jet right here, it would take him less time to get her help!" Drakken exclaimed, and he suddenly looked a lot like he was pleading her – he knew perfectly that his former sidekick wouldn't have much time left unless she got help as soon as possible "Dr. Director, _please_…!"

The head of Global Justice barely turned her gaze away from her brother's furious face to glance at Shego – there was some blood running from the corner of her mouth as well. She seemed to hesitate, then she gritted her teeth. "No," she said stubbornly "I won't let him-"

"_Betty_!" Gemini barked, and while he certainly wasn't pleading like Drakken was – he would _never_ plead his sister, no, he wouldn't – there was something in his voice, some kind of desperate urgency that made her turn her gaze away from Shego and back to him… and she was astonished to see how terrified he seemed. She only then noticed – or allowed herself to notice – how tightly he was holding her, how desperately he wanted her to live.

_Would he behave like this if it were any other agent to be in danger?_

No, she didn't think he would – she _knew_ he wouldn't. Dr. Director stared at Gemini for a few more moments, neither of them speaking, and she wasn't too surprised to see a slight change in his expression, so slight that it would have unnoticeable to anyone who didn't know him like she did. The anger and urgency were getting replaced with actual fear and something too close to despair for her tastes – in that moment she _knew_ without a shadow of doubt that if she just waited one more minute her brother might actually give in and _plead_ her the same way Drakken was to do something, _anything_ but keeping him there and letting his agent Alpha bleed out in his arms. She glanced at Shego's unconscious form for a brief instant.

_She's not just his agent Alpha. Not to him. _

Dr. Director looked at her twin brother again, and for a single moment Gemini could have sworn her scowl had softened even so slightly before her expression finally melted in an emotionless mask. When she finally spoke again her voice was collected as usual. "This was a most unfortunate setback, Lipsky," she said quietly, ignoring her brother and looking past him, directly at Drakken "a glitch that caused the robots to deactivate themselves just when they were needed the most to stop these dangerous criminals. I should hope a such thing never happens again."

"Uh?" Drakken frowned in confusion "glitch? What gli- _oh_!" he exclaimed, his face brightening, then he nodded and quickly deactivated the robots.

Gemini blinked, incredulous, and he turned to see all the robots lifelessly falling on the ground with a clang. "Betty, you-" he began, barely even knowing he was speaking, but his sister cut him off.

"Now _go_, Gemini. You _don't_ want to be anywhere near here should I change my mind," Dr. Director's voice came from behind him. Gemini turned back to look at his twin, who was still standing a few feet from him, her hands clenched into fists, her only eye narrowed. His mouth twitched as if he were about to speak, but he eventually just gave her a brief nod and an almost – _almost_ – thankful glance before he turned his back to her and ran outside with Shego, nearly knocking Drakken off his feet.

"Don't let her die, do you hear me?" Drakken yelled after him, trying to think of some terrifying threat as he watched him carefully leaning her inside the jet before climbing in himself "don't you _dare_ let her die, or else-!"

"You _bet_ I won't!" came Gemini's shout right before the jet began to take off and it was impossible hearing anything but the roar of the engines. Drakken stared at the jet until it disappeared from his sight, and he winced as Dr. Director spoke right next to him – he hadn't even realized she had approached.

"We better leave before this place blows up with us in," she said as another explosion caused the while place to shake "we don't have much time – I hope you can use your jetpack decently enough now, because you _don't_ want to be sucked into any jet engine."

Drakken nodded. "Uh… right," he glanced down at the remote and seemed to hesitate "will they really believe it was a glitch? Everyone knows Shego worked for me, and they could guess I-"

"They will if I testify it was," Dr. Director said with a shrug as she walked on the landing area "and I will. You'll only have to say the same, and no one will have doubts."

"Oh," Drakken gave a sigh of relief as he followed her "do you think… she'd going to make it?"

"I suppose we'll find out sooner or later," she said, glancing up at the sky for just a moment "what I know is that Gemini said he wouldn't let her die, and he keeps his promises. And you probably know Shego better than anyone else – do _you_ think she could make it?"

"Yes," he said, sounding a little surer "she's strong – she'll be back on her feet in no time after she gets help. And, well…thanks. For letting them go, I mean. It was you chance to get Gemini arrested."

Dr. Director shrugged. "I'll have other chances," she just said before pressed a button on the watch on her wrist to signal some GJ jet to come closer. They better leave as soon as they could – should she die there, she knew her mother would most likely find a way to follow her into the afterlife to give her the scolding of the century. "Now just activate your jetpack, we better leave. There is nothing else we can do here anyway, unless you're seeking a very stupid death that everyone will view as heroic just because you were on duty."

"I think I'll pass," Drakken sighed before he checked the braces that kept the jetpack on his back – last thing he wanted was having them breaking or letting him slip – and finally activated it. The small engine rumbled to life and lifted him off the ground, and this time he thought he did a pretty decent job at following Dr. Director on the jet that was now hovering above their heads. Well, he did get pretty close to a collision with some bird and Dr. Director had to reach out to catch him before he flew _past_ the jet… but it was still an improvement, he thought as he got rid of the jetpack and slumped on the seat, glancing down at the base that was now starting to completely collapse on itself.

"That was a close call, uh?" he chuckled a little nervously. He was used to lairs and bases exploding, really, but it felt so much more dangerous after he had seen how badly hurt Shego had gotten this time. He bit his lower lip at the thought.

"Yes, it was pretty close," Dr. Director said, sounding rather unimpressed, and Drakken could easily guess she had seen worse "I wonder what were my brother and his agent Alpha doing still inside. There was no other WEE agent around, and it's clear something didn't go as planned, especially since she was wounded."

Drakken shuddered a little at the thought and glanced at the sky a little worriedly, but he tried to not let himself get too pessimistic. Shego _would_ make it, that was sure, and she _would _give him and GJ some other headache before she randomly showed up at his place during weekends to mock him a little just like old times. He smiled just a little at the thought, then he frowned. "You know, it's so _odd_ working against… against…"

"Against someone you care for?" Dr. Director finished a little thoughtfully "yes, it's a pain in the neck sometimes. But you get used to it eventually," she paused and turned to glance at him "not that this means I _care_ for my brother, of course."

Drakken grinned. "I never _said_ that."

"But you _thought_ so."

"You have no proof."

"I could still use the lie detector to find out."

"Eep!"

"I was just joking, Lipsky," Dr. Director pointed out, an amused smirk on her lips "… maybe."

* * *

Gemini let out a small groan as he shifted on his seat in the waiting room just a little – hell, he felt like he had shards of glasses in place of his spine, his shoulders ached any time he moved his arms and his knees were killing him, which was the reason why he had long since stopped pacing back and forth like a caged animal in the waiting room and had decided to just sit down. Hell, his _everything_ hurt… and still, that was the last of his worries.

He glanced at the door almost hopefully, but of course no one walked in and he turned away with a grimace. How much time had passed since when agent Alpha had been rushed to the emergency room, still unconscious and so pale that he had to ask if she was still even alive? Hours, probably, but they felt like years and in all that time nobody had given him any news. Of course, he knew the operation could be long, but…

_Maybe it's over already. Maybe she didn't make it, and they're afraid to tell you._

"No," Gemini growled, shutting his only eye tightly and trying to forbid himself to even _think_ about that possibility. No, agent Alpha wouldn't die, she couldn't. She would make it, she would be alright again. And if she didn't, if those idiots let her die, then he would… he'd…

"Well, they weren't joking when they said you looked like a walk-on from some horror movie set."

Gemini recoiled and turned back to the door, and he wasn't surprised to see Jack Hench getting in – after all, he owned that place: going in a public hospital might not be a smart move if you happen to be a villain who's wanted in most of the world. "Thank you so much," he said dryly, but he was still rather glad to have at least a familiar face around – a _friendly_ familiar face "in case you weren't informed, this wasn't my best workday ever."

"Yes, I was told so," Hench frowned a little as he glanced at the now dried blood on the front of Gemini's uniform "none of that blood is yours, is it?"

"No. I wasn't injured," Gemini replied. He ached everywhere and the bump on his head still pulsed a little, but that hardly qualified as a wound.

"Good. Then how about a sip? You look like you need it," Hench said, and Gemini noticed he was holding out something to him – a bottle of brandy. He gladly reached for it with a small nod and brought it to his lips, talking a few gulps before putting it away. He wasn't much of a drinker and he rarely took more than a few sips, so he better not drink too much of it… but man, didn't he need it. He sighed as he felt some warmth finally spread through him, and his knotted muscles relaxed a bit. He had barely even realized how tense and cold he felt.

"So," Hench sat in the seat next to him, though not too close – Gemini supposed that the stench of drying blood wasn't exactly the best smell in the world, but he in his shock when agent Alpha had been wounded he hadn't even noticed it and then had grown used to it without even realizing it "what happened exactly?"

"The facility blew up," Gemini said briefly, not really feeling like explaining everything. He felt like he just didn't have enough _strength_ to. "She was wounded in the explosion," he added, and much to his dismay his voice suddenly sounded oddly weak – pathetically weak. He cleared his throat and quickly blamed the fatigue for that.

If Hench had noticed it, he pretended not to. "I see," he said, observing him more closely. Since when did he worry that much about any of his agents being injured on a mission? Even though his agent Alpha _was_ extremely valuable to his organization, one would have expected him to just get back to the base once he had brought her there, maybe leaving some other agent to monitor the situation. Could it be that…?

_Well, there might be a way to find out._

"Well, I've got news for you," he said with a smile, reaching to pat his shoulder in a spot that wasn't stained with dried blood "the operation finished five minutes ago. I spoke with the head doctor already. He's apparently afraid to speak to you directly, so he asked me to deliver you the news."

"What?" Gemini stiffened and immediately turned to him, his only eye widened "why didn't you tell me before? What happened? Did she… how is she?" he asked, catching himself just in time before asking if she had made it – _of course_ she made it, and he wouldn't allow himself to doubt that for a moment.

Hench had to hold back from grinning a little – it looked like that unlikely as it was, his guess ha been right. "Why the chat? Because if I walked in just telling you I had news, you could have had a heart attack and the doctor already had one emergency to take care of. In any case, no reason to unleash your anger. She's out of danger. We'll keep her here for a while as she heals a little, and then she can be dismissed. No permanent damage was done."

Gemini had promised himself he wouldn't let his emotions show up, whatever they might be, but he still found himself unable to hold back a sigh of relief. He felt as if a weight had just been removed from his chest as he leant back, almost slumped on the seat. "Thank you, Jack," he said.

Hench shrugged. "Don't mention it," he said "it was you anyway – you brought her here just in time. From what I was told, a few minutes too late could have made a significant difference."

"I was a close call, wasn't it?" Gemini murmured.

"Quite. But as I said, she's out of danger: don't think about it too much. Now why don't you get some rest? You must be exhausted, and she isn't going to wake up that soon."

Gemini gave no sign to acknowledging his suggestion. He just shut his eye and for some reason he could just _see_ the look that had been on his sisters' face one moment before she had Drakken deactivating the robots and let them go. If she hadn't… he wasn't sure he wanted to know what it could have happened. He opened his eye again and heard himself lying to Jack Hench for the first time after hell knew of many years of partnership. "We couldn't get those Lowardian weapons," he said quietly "whether GJ got them or the facility blew up with them inside, I don't know."

Hench dismissively waved his hand. "I had pretty much figured it out by now. It doesn't matter, I can do without them. The boys down in the lab are at work on something big already. Stop worrying about it, you need your… agent Alpha more than I needed those weapons," he said with a small smirk.

Gemini stared at him for a few moments, wondering if he had really figured out what was going on with him and agent Alpha – damn it, when had he become so easy to read? – then he decided to just drop the matter. He didn't think he'd tell anyone or use it against him in any case. He allowed himself to chuckle a little. "Always a step ahead, eh?"

"Of course."

"In any case, I owe you."

"Don't worry about it now. Once she's back on her feet, you'll surely get a chance to repay me if you really want to."

"Sure I do. I wouldn't _have_ an agent Alpha anymore if it wasn't for your help," Gemini said, he felt as if someone had punched his stomach the thought. He shook his head, mentally scolding himself for being so irrational. Missions were dangerous, and people could get hurt: he knew how it worked, damn it. He _knew_ it. Why should it bother him now?

_That's a stupid question if I even heard one._

"I could have done very little if you hadn't brought her here in time – and I'm most certainly not a doctor like the gentlemen who took care of her," Hench pointed out "speaking of which, next time you need their help it could be wise avoiding to fire missiles at them before they even finish taking a look at the patient."

Gemini snorted. "Two of those idiots lost time fussing over me – it was agent Alpha they should have been taking care of!"

"Sheldon, you walked in here with your uniform drenched with blood. One can't blame them for thinking you might have been wounded as well."

Fine, he had to admit Jack had a point. Gemini took a mental note to tell his agents to let him have another uniform as soon as possible since he wasn't getting back to the base before agent Alpha was dismissed. He just hoped Beta wouldn't mess up too badly while he was away. "When do they think she'll wake up?" he finally asked.

"Not before tomorrow morning – late morning, most likely," was the reply "should she wake up sooner, I'll make sure you're informed in no time. But now, for goodness sake, go get some rest. You look terrible."

"I _feel_ terrible," Gemini admitted, running his flesh and blood hand through his hair with a sigh and holding back from pointing out how ironical it was asking a villain to do anything 'for goodness sake' "but there's some stuff I need to do before I drop dead. Could you get me in contact with my agents? I have some instructions for them."

* * *

Despite her best efforts, Dr. Director couldn't help but feel rather amused as she read the reports. Her agents had succeeded to stop Dementor and Electronique, but the two villains had managed to escape capture. It was a nuisance, but they'd keep a low profile for a while, at least. Still, what really amused her was the report of the mission involving the mission to stop Edward Lipsky and Adrena Lynn: in that case her agents had managed to capture them, but a few of them had been rather disturbed by the fact those two had been making out all the way to the closest prison.

Dr. Director repressed a chuckle at the thought and put down the report. Drakken had predicted that they'd be out of prison one way or another by the end of the month, and she was pretty sure he was right. Maybe even earlier, given the track record of that one prison. No wonder most villains were back in action barely a few weeks after their last failed plot – Drakken himself pretty much escaped prison every Friday, a detail that had become kind of a running joke among all GJ agents.

When she had asked him if there was a reason for that pattern during one of their breaks with cocoa moo, he had openly admitted it was mostly because he didn't want to miss karaoke nights… and then he had stared at her with a perplexed look on his face while she almost chocked on her cocoa in the attempt to swallow, laugh and breathe at the same time. Dr. Director smiled a little at the thought, faintly wondering how was he doing: even after they had returned to the headquarters, he seemed rather shocked by what had happened to his former sidekick. Maybe she should ask him-

"Dr. Director!"

She was snapped from her thoughts as a familiar voice called out for her. She glanced up to see agent Will Du approaching her desk. "Yes, agent Du?"

"We received an anonymous call we couldn't track down," he said, and despite his usual collected attitude it was clear that whatever had happened had deeply surprised him "we were told we would find something 'interesting' in an old warehouse just outside Go City. We sent a few men to take a look, and they found-"

"The Lowardian weapons WEE stole from the facility in the Pacific Ocean, neatly stacked and ready for us to take," Dr. Director finished, a small smile forming in her lips. Man, Gemini could be so predictable… at least to her, that was it. After all, they went _way_ back.

Will Du stared at her, clearly surprised. "How do you…?" he asked.

_I just know how much my brother loathes being in debt of any kind. _

"That's confidential information," she said instead, sternly enough to discourage any further questioning "do bring the weapons here before we choose a safe place to keep them."

"Yes, Dr. Director."

As agent Du went to do as instructed, Dr. Director allowed herself to sigh in relief. She supposed she could consider that a proof that Gemini's agent Alpha had made it; if she hadn't survived, she was pretty sure her brother would have wanted to blame _someone_, and he would have blamed her for keeping him from fleeing the facility for those few more minutes, convincing himself that his agent could have survived if only she had let them go immediately. But if giving back the weapons he had stolen was his own way to pay back his debt – to thank her, maybe? – it could only mean that everything had turned out well after all.

It looked like she would be dealing with them again pretty soon, but she supposed she could live with it. As she reached for the interphone to give Drakken the good news, she was pretty amused by the fact she was the first person who had ever been thanked by her brother through a bunch of deadly alien weapons.


	15. Aftermath

A/N: I know, I know, long time to see. Sorry about that, I promise I'll finish this before November. Yeah, it turned out that this is not the last chapter. It was supposed to be just a part of the epilogue, but it got way too long and so I had to cut it and make it a separate chapter. So yeah, this chapter just deals with the aftermath with the previous one. The next one will be the actual epilogue.  
I shouldn't even be surprised that my writing got out of hand. It always does. XD

Also, the scene with Drakken's Flower Power taking over was written thinking of **Neo the Saiyan angel**, because thanks to her I'll never think of those vines the same way again. Hadn't I been a jaded pervert even before, I'd say she ruined me. In a good way. ;)

* * *

_Hey Dr. D_

_Guess who's back form the dead. Sorry, but you're not going to get rid of me so easily. Next time we meet I'm going to kick your robots' ass; count yourself lucky that I was out last time. By the way, were you really begging Dr. Director to let us go like Gemini said? Too bad nobody recorded that, it would have given me endless mocking material. Nope, I'm not going to thank you – I got in that mess to save your blue butt in the first place, so I guess we're even. Good thing your girlfriend was enough of a pathetic do-gooder to really let us go when you asked nicely._

_Anyway, don't work too hard in the next few weeks. I'm staying at rest for another while, and Gemini seems to be planning on keeping a low profile until then – I always said that he can't get anything done if I'm not part of the picture. By the way, next time I drop by you've got to tell me exactly what he did and said while I was out. He claims he was in control all the time, but I didn't believe it for one second. You have no idea how much of a chicken he can be._

_Well, see you. Take advantage of the fact you're in for some quiet time to try actually getting laid for a change – hey, even if you just make it to the first base I swear I'll get you champagne and call the press. Some shocking news should be shared with the world._

_Good luck,_

_Shego._

Shego smirked a little at the thought of Drakken's face once she read that – man, wouldn't she love to see it! – and sent the e-mail before closing her laptop and putting it on the nightstand with a slightly pained grunt. Even small movements like that were difficult and darn tiring, she thought with a sigh as she rested back on the pillow. Oh, well, she guessed she couldn't really complain that much: if anything she was back in her room at the base rather than in some hospital room.

That place wasn't too bad for a hospital and Gemini had been willing to pay for her to stay as much as she wanted – since her health was important to WEE, as he had put it – but she had preferred to get back to the base as soon as her conditions allowed it. And it hadn't been a bad choice, really – right now it felt like being in some hotel or something. She had to rest and thus she spent most of the day in her bed, but at least the had TV to distract herself with, all the magazines and rental DVDs the other agents could find, and someone would always rush to do whatever she asked if only she pressed a button.

She could really get used to it, she thought, glancing at the now empty tray that Omega had used to bring her breakfast. Wasn't he supposed to show up again to take it away soon? Maybe she could get that guy to make himself useful again and bring her-

"Agent Alpha?"

Shego was snapped form her thoughts by the voice coming from the other side of the door that definitely wasn't agent Omega's. "Boss?" she muttered in slight surprise. While Gemini had spent a darn lot of time in her hospital room with her – almost skinning a couple of nurses alive any moment Shego expressed the slightest kind of discomfort – he hadn't showed up in her room even once since when she had been brought back to the base, only communicating with her through the interphone.

Well, she could see why: it could be rather hard trying to make the other agents keep thinking theirs was a strictly professional relationship if he spent too much time alone with her in her room… still, she was pretty sure there was no point in even worrying about that now: she strongly doubted there was one single agent that didn't suspect something already anyway. She was probably going to have to break the news to him one day or another, she mused before reaching to press the button that would open the door to let him in. "Nervous, boss?" she asked a little mockingly as she noticed how nervously he glanced behind his back before stepping inside, and how he only seemed to relax when the door buzzed closed behind him.

"I'm simply being careful," he said almost defensively "some agent could jump to the wrong-" he paused as Shego raised an eyebrow "… fine, to the _right_ conclusions. But you get my point."

Well, maybe it was about time he knew a thing or two. "You know, boss, I hate to break it to you like this, but those guys were making bets on when we'd hook up since before we even kissed," she said, a small smirk playing on her lips.

His reaction didn't disappoint. "WHAT?" he sputtered as surprise, anger, and something akin to dread twisted his features somewhat comically "but how…?"

"Well, to be honest you're not exactly Mr. Subtle most times," Shego teased him, still smirking. She had always found it amusing how easily he snapped, and it was even more amusing when it wasn't her he was snapping at.

"How _dare_ they!" Gemini was fuming, apparently not even having heard her taunt "if I ever find out who it was to start, I'll make them regret being even _born_…!"

Shego rolled her eyes. "Yeah, good luck finding out who started it. What's the problem at this point anyway?"

"You don't understand!" Gemini protested "it's not _professional_, and I don't want them to think-"

"I thought you didn't care about what they could think about you," Shego pointed out.

"But if they think I've gone _soft_ or something…!"

This time, Shego just couldn't hold back – she threw her head back on the pillow and laughed so hard that her stomach hurt, and she had to remind herself that she had to be careful with the stitches for a few more days. When she finally managed to stop laughing and glanced up at him, she had to chuckle again at his grumpy expression.

"May I ask what is it you find so funny?" he inquired, looking everything like a pouting kid.

"Boss, you're _kidding_, right?" she grinned "you let everyone and their grandma see you fussing over your dog, you almost had a heart attack when it was sick, you let your mother call you _Shelly_," her grin broadened as he winced "…you rushed back in a mined facility risking your life so that your baby sister wouldn't get hurt, you risked having the building collapsing on you or being arrested to get me out of there alive, you just _refused_ to leave my room back at the hospital save from bathroom breaks and _now_ you worry about someone thinking you could have gone soft? And for what? For having a sex life?" she laughed again "come on, give me a break! You know I can't laugh too much!"

Gemini's sulky expression had turned into an annoyed scowl as she spoke. "Are you saying I've gone soft?" he asked, a threatening note in his voice.

Shego rose on her elbows and opened her mouth to taunt him a little more, but she suddenly felt dizzy and decided that she probably wouldn't have enough strength to keep arguing for much longer. "I wouldn't dare, boss," she finally said with fake innocence – real mocking could wait a little more after all "anyway, did you get here to rage a little or is there another reason?" she asked.

He snorted. "I wanted to check how-" he trailed off and cleared his throat he apparently realized that admitting the reason why he was there wouldn't exactly support his claims on not having gone soft at all. "I mean, uh… I was getting bored. There isn't much going on," he said with a shrug, finally sitting next on the edge of her bed.

"Uneventful day, uh?"

"I told you, I'm going to keep a low profile for a while. Until you get bett… until you're back on duty."

Shego smirked a little before leaning back on the pillow. "I see. But I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little longer. I think I got a cold," she joked, and Gemini found himself chuckling.

"Make it six weeks – doctor's order."

"I thought you didn't follow anyone's orders," she taunted him a little.

"I don't, but you will. Because I'm ordering you to obey the doctor's orders," he said with a grin.

Shego raised an eyebrow. "Alright, can't argue with that," she said, lifting her arms in a mock gesture of surrender before closing her eyes with a sigh – man, she _was_ tired.

Gemini hesitated for a few moments, still glancing at her, then he spoke again. "One more thing, agent Alpha."

Shego opened her eyes. "Yes?"

He straightened himself and folded his arms, trying to look as imposing and authoritative as he could. "Give me another scare like that and you're fired."

She grinned weakly. "It won't happen again, boss. I have no rush to get through it again – it wasn't exactly a walk in the park, in case you didn't notice."

"I noticed, but it never hurts to be sure," he said with a shrug, but he seemed slightly relieved. "Anyway, once you recover you're not getting involved into missions directly until further notice."

"What?" Shego's eyes narrowed "hey, wait a minute – you can't just keep me here to do nothing!"

"I am your employer, remember?" he reminded her stubbornly "_I_ decide what you have to do and when!"

"Yeah, and which part of making me die with boredom sounds like a good idea to you?" she snapped, sitting up straight despite the ache and dizziness "I told you, it won't happen again. I just want to do my _job_."

"And you'll keep doing so behind the scenes!" Gemini retorted.

Shego growled, hating it how tired she felt already after just that brief banter – she was recovering fast, but now quite as fast as she would have wished, and she tended to get tired easily. "Fine, you know what?" she said, glaring up at him "if you're planning to keep me here in the base sitting in front of a screen the whole day, I quit."

Gemini blinked, taken aback. "What…?" he asked, bewildered – he hadn't expected that "you wouldn't…!"

Shego just raised an eyebrow.

"… you would," he groaned, dropping his shoulders a little. He didn't seem to like the idea at all… and that was a threat he couldn't react to by threatening to fire her.

"Darn right I would. I'm here to do my job… mostly," she hesitated a little – now that her reputation as a villain was cleansed, so to speak, she was certain she could get another job very easily if she wanted to… but she still didn't like the idea of leaving WEE at all. But if he tried to keep her cooped up inside some base all the time, then she _would_ quit, no matter what. "Look, in case you didn't notice I'm a big girl and can I take care of myself."

"Yes, sure! Just like last time!" he said somewhat accusingly.

"That was an _accident_, boss," Shego retorted "accidents happen in this job, you know they do."

"Not to me," he grumbled.

"Oh, yeah? And then how come you've got a prosthetic hand?" she said slyly "and don't tell me that the eye patch really is only a fashion statement…"

"It's not – I already told you, it was my sister!" Gemini protested, folding his arms again and looking a little grumpy as he realized he had only proven her point "fine, I had my share of risks," he finally admitted "but I didn't nearly _die_, unlike a certain someone. It was just an eye – and I had lost the hand way before I turned to crime, so _that_ doesn't count!"

"Okay, fine, it doesn't count," she rolled her eyes "but wasn't it you to nearly get electrocuted with your own hand during some mess involving Kim Possible's sidekick what's-his-name?"

"Ron Stoppable," Gemini muttered, grimacing a little at the memory before turning his attention back to the subject at hand "but I didn't risk my life that one time either – the voltage was too low to kill me, it just stunned me," he pointed out.

"But the base exploded and you only made it out in one piece because the do-gooders decided to save you," she said, striking a calculated blow.

Gemini winced. "How do you know _that_?" he demanded to know.

"Heard it around," she said vaguely – she'd rather not let him know Drakken had told her that "the point is that you _know_ there is a risk with this kind of business. You could get killed as well, or you could lose another limb. What if you lost the other eye too?" she asked.

Gemini couldn't help but cringe a little at the thought; the mere idea of complete blindness seemed way worse than any kind of life threatening wound he could think of. "I won't!" he snapped, shaking his head as if to get rid of the horrifying thought.

"But you could – it's a risk you're subjecting yourself to every day... you, and all your agents. But you don't seem to worry for yourself, let alone for your agents," she added slyly "you wouldn't really _mind_ if any of your agents got hurt, because it's part of the job."

Gemini snorted. "You know that's different," he protested "you're my… uh… most valuable agent," he said lamely.

Shego fought back the urge to snicker and shrugged. "Yeah, I am. Isn't that a good reason to let me do what I do best? It's the whole organization's interest, isn't it?"

He nodded grudgingly. "Yes, kind of. But-" he trailed off as Shego held up her hand.

"So, what about a deal?"

Gemini glanced at her warily. "What deal?"

"I'll stay behind the scenes and won't get personally involved in any kind of mission until I'm completely healed."

He snorted. "That was a given."

Shego grinned up at him. "I'm not done yet. I have no intention to keep boring myself to death in here until then," she gestured to her room "so, as soon as I can stand without having to sit down every ten minutes, I'm leaving for a full paid vacation."

Gemini blinked. "Full paid? Paid by _who_?" he demanded to know as he felt a sudden, irrational pang of jealousy. Who could there be who'd pay her a full vacation? Drakken, maybe? It could be – he had plenty of money and sure _did_ care for her, and… and… but he surely didn't care for her _that_ way! And even if he did, agent Alpha surely wouldn't, right? Right?

_Why didn't I blow up that blue idiot's head when I could?_

On the other hand, Shego just shrugged. "By you, of course. A couple of weeks should do. Possibly near some beach, in a place with sauna, spa, solarium, gym and all that jazz. For two people."

Gemini stared at her for a few moments, faintly wondering if she was joking, but she looked perfectly serious if just a little amused by the expression on his face. He finally snorted. "Wait a minute – do you seriously expect me to pay all that for two people?" he protested, suspicion showing its face again "for you and _who else_, exactly?"

Shego just cocked an eyebrow and stared at him for a few moments. Gemini blinked, his brain finally catching up.

"…ah," he muttered, feeling oddly stupid for his jealousy just for a few moments before he cleared his throat "but I can't take vacations so easily," he protested "I have a worldwide criminal organization to run!"

"So what? You said we're going to keep a low profile for a while, so why not take advantage of it?" she shrugged "drop the responsibility on someone else and take a vacation. I bet Beta would do great."

"Beta?" Gemini repeated "you can't be serious! He's not qualified to take charge, none of them is! And why should I trust him to-"

Shego rolled her eyes and reached up to put a finger on his lips, efficiently silencing him. "He's competent enough to have lasted here since even before I came here," she pointed out "he always did a good job, didn't he?"

"I guess he did, but-"

"And when he had a chance to have both you and me blow up in pieces and become the leader of WEE – don't look at me like that, he _is_ the highest rank agent after me – he didn't, right?"

"Well…" Gemini's mind fumbled to think of some excuse but damn her, she did have a point. Or maybe there was a part of him that didn't mind actually taking a vacation, especially a vacation alone with her, and thus he didn't try as hard as he should have to argue. He finally dropped his shoulders. "Fine, fine. But for no more than two weeks, and only as long as there is nothing major going on and he contacts me before taking _any_ kind of decision!" he said almost forcefully.

Shego grinned. "Whatever you say, boss," she said, reaching to ruffle his hair and getting some protests out of him "so, have we got a deal?" she asked, her hand resting on his cheek. Gemini immediately stopped grumbling and reached to rest his own hand on hers.

"I guess we do," he said, his thumb stroking the back of her hand for a few moments "but there is still something left to do."

Shego raised an eyebrow. "And it is…?"

Gemini's flesh and blood hand went to run through her hair as he leant closer, their faces just inches apart. "We should seal the deal, shouldn't we?" he said with a smirk.

She stared at him for a moment before smirking herself. "I like the way you think," she muttered before he leant forward to kiss her, efficiently silencing her. Not that she minded being silenced for once – she didn't mind _at all_. He was being a lot gentler than he usually was, probably because she was still recovering and he apparently thought that even a rough kiss could harm her or something, but it was still rather pleasant. Maybe she would consider sealing the deal again once they broke apart, just to be sure-

A loud ringing noise made both of them recoil. They broke apart, and Gemini reached in his pocket to grab his cell phone with a scowl, which melted in a puzzled expression once he saw the caller's ID. "Mom?" Gemini muttered before taking the call – she rarely called anyone on their cell phone. Had something happened? "Hi, mom, what… _what_? No, I didn't forget to tell you anything… no, I… what are you talking about?" he stammered in confusion, though now he had a rather worried expression on his face. Shego frowned – could it be that his mother had found out that he was a criminal after all?

"No, I _really_ don't have anything to tell you! Yes, honest," Gemini was still speaking to his mother, and Shego could see he was starting to sweat a little "mom, can you stop with the riddles and just tell me… Betty told you _what_?" he almost shouted, suddenly getting horribly pale.

Shego froze. Had Dr. Director told their mother the truth about him? Could she have really resorted to _that_? Hell, that was low coming from one of the good guys. It was something she or Gemini could have done, she thought, still glancing worriedly at Gemini's pale face as he kept trying to convince his mother.

"No, it's not true! She made it up! I… no, no, you're wrong! You're _both_ wrong! There is nothing… mom, let me speak!" he whined "it's just a professional relationship, and… sure I used protection, I'm not stupid! I… no, wait, that doesn't mean we _did_…!" Gemini seemed to realize he had just fallen in a trap and gave Shego an almost desperate glance, and she suddenly realized what Dr. Director had done: she hadn't told their mother that Gemini was actually a criminal, but she did tell her that his relationship with a 'colleague' had turned out to be way more than just a professional one.

_Well, now this is evil, I've got to give her that. Way worse than telling her the truth about his job._

"You didn't _trap_ me, and I didn't admit anything! I just… well…" Gemini paused while listening to something his mother was saying and he finally slumped his shoulders. When he spoke again his voice was oddly weak, like a chastised kid's. "… yes, mom. Sure. Next Friday, yes. Bye. Love you too," he almost groaned before he interrupted the communication and dropped the cell phone with a growl. "Damn you, Betty, this means _war_!" he seethed, apparently forgetting how they had been in a war against each other since… well, pretty much since back in the womb.

"Er…" Shego cleared her throat, feeling somewhat uneasy "I take it your little sister didn't keep her mouth shut about us, eh?"

"Exactly," Gemini snarled.

"Huh. And… what did your mother say about next Friday?" Shego asked, fearing the answer already.

Gemini slumped his shoulders even more. "She wants us for dinner," he said weakly.

Oh no, Shego thought. No, no, no. There was no way, _no way_ she could actually do that. Hell, she barely even knew what she should think of their relationship – no, scratch that: she had _no idea_ what she should think of their relationship right now. Trying to put some order in that mess was one of the reasons why she had talked him into taking that vacation in the first place so that they could spend some time away from anything related to work and anything reminding them that he was her employer. Until she got at least some stuff sorted out there was just _no way_ she would accept to put herself through anything like having dinner with Gemini and his _mother_. No. Way.

"And you told her that we were going?" she asked slowly, a threatening note in her voice. Couldn't that idiot at least bother to _ask_ her before getting her in that mess?

Gemini looked everything like a beaten dog now, apparently lacking any strength or will to return her glare. "Well, you'll be doing a lot better by next week, and all we have to do is dining, so… you don't understand," he said quickly as Shego's scowl deepened "saying 'no' to my mother is not an option. You'd understand if you knew her!"

Shego shook her head. "Hell, _no_. This time, you'll have to _pretend_ you're a grownup and refuse!" she snapped.

"I can't!" Gemini protested, sounding almost scared by the thought "and don't look at me like that, it's not my fault! It was Betty to tell her!" he almost whined "it's all her fault!"

"Ask me if I _care_," Shego reached to pick up the cell phone from the mattress and handed it back to him "tell your mother that we're not going, that we're busy, that aliens abducted me, _anything_. Because I. Am. Not. Going."

Gemini scowled and trying to retort. "Agent Alpha, I'm your employer! You're _not_ getting to tell me… what… to do," his voice faded while he seemed to deflate under Shego's glare.

"_Now_, Gemini," she ordered, forcefully pressing the cell phone against his chest, her weariness forgotten.

He didn't seem to even notice that it was the first time she addressed him with his villain name, nor he acknowledged the fact he was pressing the cell phone rather painfully against his chest. "Three weeks," he finally uttered.

Shego blinked. "What?"

"I'm making the vacation three weeks long if you just play along for this once," there was a pleading note in his voice now, and he wasn't even trying to hide it.

"…wait. Are you really _this_ desperate?"

"Yes," he said, apparently relieved by the fact she had grasped the point. He didn't even care if he had to seem pathetic right now: she just couldn't _know_ what it would mean saying no to his mother's invitation.

"You've got to be kidding me," Shego said, trying to figure out _what _could it be that made him so scared to just say no to his mother. Fine, she did seem a rather tough one, but _scary_? Not so much.

"No, I'm not," Gemini said quickly. His flesh and blood hand reached up to grab her hand. "Just for this once," he repeated "_please_."

Shego hesitated, then she just sighed. Well, she supposed that if things kept going like that it was only a matter of time before something like that happened again, so maybe she should get it done right away… and get something out of it. "Three weeks?"

"Three weeks."

"In the best hotel you can find."

"The best one, yes."

"By the sea."

"By the sea."

"With spa."

"With spa."

She smirked. "In the same room."

He returned her smirk, suddenly feeling a lot more confident. "In the same room."

"And you'll have to wear a thong."

"And I'll… wait, _what_?" Gemini stammered, causing Shego to laugh.

"Just kidding, boss. Scratch the last part. You've got yourself a deal," she tilted back her head, a smirk still playing on her lips, then she held up the cell phone again. "Now call your mother."

Gemini froze. "But you said…"

"Yeah, I know what I said," she cut him off "don't worry, I'll keep my word. But you should still call her, because there is some stuff she might be happy to know. Don't you want to pay your sister back with her same coin?"

"What?" he blinked "the same coin? You mean… are you serious?" he asked, bewildered. He had always assumed his sister simply had no life outside GJ, no life outside fighting _him_, so the idea she could be dating someone had never crossed his mind. "And how would you know it?"

She shrugged. "Let's just say Drakken is not good at keeping a secret," she said.

A long silence followed her words. "You're kidding," Gemini finally said, deadpanned.

"Nope, I'm not."

"_Drakken_?"

"Apparently. He just won't stop blabbering about her, and from what he said she seems to like having him around… and not necessarily because of work. My guess is that they've been dating for a while without knowing it," she smirked "I don't know how slow your sister can be with this kind of stuff, but I know just how slow Dr. D can be."

_And who knows, maybe this will make him catch up._

Gemini shook his head, not even bringing himself to notice how his agent Alpha had apparently been keeping in touch with the enemy – not that he could really complain about that since he met his sister regularly enough at their mother's place anyway. "I don't believe it!" he exclaimed, suddenly torn between the urge of using that newly acquired information against Betty and the instinct to teach a lesson to that idiot who had decided to date his _baby sister_. In the end, however, the former was stronger.

"Yeah, me neither. Dr. D actually getting some? The end of the world must be closer than we thought. Maybe we should start repenting or something?" she joked, but Gemini wasn't listening to her anymore: he was already starting to fumble with his cell phone, a wide grin spreading on his face, and Shego knew what he had to look like as a kid when getting ready to tell mom some misdeed his sister had done – he looked like he had just been told his birthday was coming early that year. She snickered and leant back to listen to the conversation.

"Mom? It's me. No, no, no excuses – yes, we're in. I just remembered something _else_ Betty should have told you and probably _forgot_ to mention…"

* * *

Drakken was almost whistling when he walked to Dr. Director's office, the usual thermos filled with cocoa moo under his arm. Fine, she hadn't asked for him to report in her office like always when she got enough time for one of their pauses – and had Drakken paid any attention to his colleagues, he would have maybe noticed how they had started to exchange some really weird glanced any time she did – but he had just received great news and he felt like celebrating a little.

Of course, he already _knew_ that Shego was up and fine enough – she had sent him a short message a few days before, warning him to not try calling back since she wasn't supposed to have her cell phone with her – but her e-mail had cheered him up anyway. Maybe Dr. Director wouldn't be too happy to know about that – not that she could _really_ say much about it since she had admitted meeting her brother at their mother's place from time to time and with the excuse of being off duty she had never used those occasions to arrest him, but it _was_ technically forbidden reading one's personal mail from the GJ computers – but Drakken was just too happy to really bother. It wasn't like he really thought she would give him any trouble for it anyway.

Though he was _definitely_ going to avoid mentioning the… innuendos Shego had filled her e-mail with. Would she ever drop it? She was wrong, dead wrong. It was just something she came up with to avoid his questions about her and Gemini, that was all – and boy, hadn't he been right about that! There was no way she could deny it now, and next time they met she would _never_ hear the end of it. A few burns would be well worth the satisfaction.

The thought caused his grin to widen as he pressed the button on the interphone outside Dr. Director's office. "Dr. Director?" he called out "it's me… I mean, Lipsky. I was wondering-"

"Lipsky," her voice was almost a growl, and it made his grin disappear at once "what a coincidence, I was _just_ about to call you to report. Do come in."

_Oh, snaps. That doesn't sound good._

"Uh… maybe I got you in a bad moment. I could come by later…"

"Do. Come. In." There was pretty strong threatening note in Dr. Director's voice now.

Drakken tried to quickly think of anything he could have done lately to upset her, but his mind was blank on that aspect. He drew in a deep breath and stepped inside as the door opened in front of him.

Well, it wasn't quite as bad as he had expected – it was _worse_. For starters, Dr. Director wasn't sitting behind the desk: she was standing a few feet from him, her arms crossed on her cheat and her only eye narrowed to the point it was little more than a slit of pure malevolence. She definitely didn't seem in the mood for a friendly chat at all – it actually looked more like she was up to bathe in his blood. And that, by Drakken's books, was a Bad Thing. The _bad_ kind of Bad Thing.

"… I take it you, uh, don't feel like having some cocoa moo?" he asked weakly, raising the thermos and shaking it somehow hopefully, as if hoping it could miraculously revert her mood. Predictably enough, no miracle happened.

"Tell me, Lipsky," she said, completely ignoring his words "is there something in particular you came here to tell me?"

Suddenly, telling her about Shego's e-mail seemed the worst idea ever. "I, uh… wanted to… say hi?" he said, then he yelped and dropped the thermos to lift his arms over his head protectively as Dr. Director just took one menacing step closer. "I just got some e-mail from Shego and she's fine and I wanted to tell you _please don't hurt me_!" he almost shrieked that last part.

"Oh, I see," Dr. Director stopped just a few feet from him, but she didn't try to hit him or anything "and tell me, have you been hearing from her often?"

Drakken lowered his arms a little to glance at her. She still looked furious, but at least she was still controlled enough. "Well…"

"The truth, Lipsky."

"Just sometimes!" he exclaimed, taking a step back "I swear! She sent me an e-mail from time to time and showed up in my house a couple of times, but that's all, and… and… I never told her anything about GJ! And we were both off duty! Honest!"

"Oh, really?" Dr. Director asked, now somewhat sarcastically.

"Really! We just chatted a little, and we kept work out of it!"

"And what did you _exactly_ chat about?" Dr. Director demanded to know.

"We, er… a bit of anything?" he said weakly, fumbling to recall if he had ever let any relevant information concerning GJ slip in their conversations, but he couldn't recall anything at all aside from his complaints about Will Du and how glad he was that at least Dr. Director was someone pleasant to have arou-

Drakken's train of thoughts abruptly stopped. No, it didn't just stop – it _derailed_ as a horrible suspect hit him. He glanced at Dr. Director with wide eyes, praying that it wasn't _that_. "Tell me she didn't… she did not…?"

"Well, I don't know what you think she did, but let's put it this way," Dr. Director said coldly "I just finished speaking with my mother. She called me on work, and she _never_ calls me on work. Apparently, she got some rather peculiar and absolutely _false_ information from my dearest brother. Information that also concerns _you_ to a certain extent. Can you _guess_ what it was about?"

Drakken dropped his shoulders. "It wasn't something about the weather, was it?" he tried.

"_Definitely_ not. And since my brother is an idiot who completely lacks of the imagination one would need to come up with such a _laughable_ idea, I can't help but wonder if his current agent Alpha has anything to do with it, and how could she exactly get a such idea," she took another step forward, and Drakken dared to glance at the door, wondering if he could even consider trying to escape and deciding it wasn't even worth trying "aren't you _curious_, Lipsky?"

_Boy, Shego is going to pay for this. I still don't know how, but she's going to pay dearly._

"B… but she promised me she wouldn't tell anybody!" he stammered.

Dr. Director seemed taken by surprise. "Wouldn't tell _what_?" she demanded to know. What had he told Shego about… about _them_? What in the world had he told her?

"Nothing!" Drakken was stuttering "I mean… some idea she got, and I have no idea how she got it, honest, I never said anything like that! I just talked about random stuff and at some point I mentioned you a couple of times, and-"

"Didn't you just claim you kept work out of your conversations?" Dr. Director barked.

"Hey, we did!" Drakken protested "I wasn't talking about GJ at all, I was just… talking about, er… you?" he finished, faintly hoping the floor would open up to swallow him. No such luck.

"About me?" she repeated, unsure whether she should be enraged or surprised or embarrassed. Maybe a mix of them all – really, didn't he _have_ other topics to come up with? There was nothing to tell, after all, absolutely nothing aside from the fact they often spent some break together and that yes, they had grown to enjoy each other's company, and… oh, good Lord, while she knew it didn't mean anything at all it wasn't too hard to guess what could have made Shego and Gemini jump to the wrong conclusion. Or maybe they hadn't even thought of it, but her brother had seen a chance to get back to her for telling their mother about him and his agent Alpha and he had seized it. Hell, she shouldn't have played that prank on him…!

"Uh… yes. Just something about some of the breaks we spent together and, er, she got the wrong idea. She just _assumed _that I had, you know, kind of a… crush, I guess?" he cleared his throat at the weird look she was giving him and straightened himself a little "all nonsense, of course, and I told her she was wrong, but she kept teasing me and wouldn't listen, but she promised she wouldn't tell anyone about her, uh, ideas…!"

"But she didn't keep her word," Dr. Director growled under her breath. Damn, she really should have kept her mouth shut. It looked like her idea to embarrass her brother had just backfired on her big time.

"I see," Drakken nervously cleared his throat, relieved to see that she seemed to have calmed down a little "I take it that prank of telling your mother about Gemini and Shego was not a really good idea, eh?"

"Apparently not."

"Hu-uh. But you sure could, uh, say it was all a mistake…?"

Dr. Director dropped her shoulders before she shook her head. "I _tried_ to, what do you think? No use."

Drakken wasn't sure what he should think of the fact his boss' mother thought they were dating. "Ah. So… what now?"

"_Now_ she wants us for dinner next Friday, and you better play along until I figure out a way to convincer her we're not… romantically involved," he seemed to nearly choke on those last words.

Her mother? Next Friday? Dinner? Drakken's jaw fell. "What? You must be _kidding_! You had to say no!"

"I _wish_!" Dr. Director growled, glaring at him once again "if you knew my mother you'd know that saying 'no' to her is most definitely _not_ an option. And don't look at me like that! This wouldn't have happened if you had kept your mouth shut with my brother's top agent! You weren't even supposed to have any kind of contact with the enemy!"

"Wait, _what_?" Drakken snapped back, finally scowling "wait a minute, you're the last person on Earth who can complain! You meet your brother any time your mother invites both of you over! You said so yourself!"

Dr. Director took a moment to mentally curse herself for sharing that much of her personal life with him – why the hell had she done that anyway? – before replying. "It's not like I have much choice, and you know it!"

"Well, me neither! Shego just showed up, and… and I was off duty anyway!"

"This doesn't change the fact you should at least have kept you mouth shut about u- about _me_!" she snapped "how could you not guess she could get this _ridiculous_ idea?"

Drakken suddenly felt somewhat insulted for some reason. Fine, that they could like each other that way was a dumb idea, but… did she _have_ to point it out all the time? "Well, she wouldn't have told Gemini anything if you didn't play that prank on them!" he protested "I knew it was a bad idea!"

"Oh, _did you_?" Dr. Director almost hissed "because I seem to recall you were laughing your head off while I was making the phone call to my mother!"

…oh, right. Drakken seemed taken aback for a few moments before he frowned again. "Well, it was your idea, and… and Friday is karaoke night anyway! I'm not coming to any dinner, alright?"

"In case you haven't noticed, Lipsky, I'm _not_ just asking nicely!"

"Well, maybe if you _did_ ask nicely I would have-" Drakken suddenly trailed off, his brain just then catching up with his tongue. He bit his lower lip and shifted a little as he noticed the surprised look Dr. Director was giving him. There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence.

"I mean, I would, uh, play along and pretend that I like you?" he tried again, then he winced as he realized that he was making things even worse "I mean, it's not that I don't _like_ you," he quickly added, desperately trying to ignore the fact Dr. Director was staring at him with a dumbfounded look on her face "I do, kind of. I just, eh… could pretend that I did like you _that_ way if you… asked nicely?" he blabbered.

Dr. Director kept staring at him as if she couldn't picture how had he come to be I her office, causing Drakken to suddenly feel even more awkward and wish that the floor would just swallow him, or that something around the globe happened so that they would be interrupted quickly, or…

BLOOP.

"Oh, _come on_!"

After a moment of surprise, something resembling a chuckle finally left Dr. Director. "I thought you had gained control over this," she said as she watched Drakken hastily tearing the bright yellow petals off his neck.

Drakken gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the heat spreading on his face – he had to be almost purple now, he thought with a grimace. "Just sometimes," he grumbled defensively. Damn, it hadn't happened in months, and he had really thought he had finally managed to have full control over his Flower Power – and those vines were really useful when he wanted to cook and read something at the same time – but it had the bad habit of getting out of hand when he was feeling very tense or nervous or awkward… just like now. "I have everything back under control anyway!"

"Oh, really?" Dr. Director glanced suspiciously at something on his left "and what about that?"

"Eh?" Drakken turned to see a vine that was apparently coming from his back, a few yellow flowers on it "hey, you! Get back… whenever you came from!" he snapped, trying to will the vine to just retreat, but it didn't, and Drakken had barely enough time to wish that it wasn't another of those times the Flower Power would act on its own accord before the vine moved quicker than eye could follow.

"Hey!"

"Ow!" Drakken let out a gasp as he suddenly felt as if something was squeezing him, and it took him a moment to realize that his wine had literally tied him up-

"Lipsky, what on _Earth_…?"

…and not just him, apparently. Drakken's eyes widened as she saw Dr. Director's face just inches from his, struggling without success to break free from the vine's iron grasp that kept them tied together.

"Wha…? No! Bad vine! Bad flower! Bad!" he shrieked, but the vines didn't seem up to listen to him at all and just kept both him and Dr. Director uncomfortably close. He squirmed, then stilled as he realized that he would brush against her body at any movement he did and shut his eyes, desperately trying to take control of the vines again.

"Lipsky, if you don't release me _right now_…!" Dr. Director was threatening, her voice a bit too nervous to sound _really_ threatening.

"I'm trying!" Drakken protested, feeling his whole face burning as he recalled some scientist in the GJ labs suggesting that the vines could behave according to his subconscious' desires when they seemed to be moving against his will. He just hoped Dr. Director didn't know about that theory. "And… stop moving, okay? You'd just make them angry!"

"Them? The _flowers_?"

"The vines!"

"Oh, for heaven's… they're _your_ vines! Control them!"

"I said I'm trying!" he snapped before he drew in a deep breath "stay still a moment, okay? I'll try take over again."

Dr. Director gave an exasperated snort. "Fine, but be quick!" she muttered. She got no reply, and she glanced at Drakken to see that he was keeping his eyes shut, muttering something under his breath as he apparently tried to convince the vines to let go of them. His face was still flushed with anger and embarrassment, and she couldn't help but find the odd purplish colour that his skin had right now somewhat amusing.

He _was_ an amusing man to have around, she thought somewhat incoherently, her gaze resting on the thermos on the ground before turning back to his face. And of course, she did enjoy his company… a detail that, she was starting to fear, had made her lower her guard a little too much, to the point she had let him get closer to her than he was supposed to be in a purely professional relationship. But of course, that didn't mean anything – it wasn't like they could ever be romantically involved, of course. That was just… just laughable. She was his superior to being with and even if she weren't… well… she _was_ his superior, she forcefully told herself as she instinctively tried to squirm away. No use, though – their bodies were still closely pressed together.

_Well, wonderful._

She bit her lower lip and tried to turn away, but her gaze fell on the scar under his eye and she smiled a little as she recalled how embarrassed he had looked when he had admitted that he had given himself that scar by accident because he had tried to scratch his cheek while still holding the razor he was using to shave. She had been pretty amused by the anecdote and she had said that hey, if anything he had smooth cheeks, and Drakken had said something about how his mother seemed to think the same thing since she just loved pinching his cheeks at any occasion she got. Dr. Director had laughed a little at the thought and had faintly wondered if his cheeks were that pinch-able – not that she had really considered trying of course, she never would, but… well…

_Dangerous territory to get into, Betty. Think of something else. Think of how you're going to kick your brother's ass for getting you in this mess. Think of what you're going to watch on TV this evening. Think about anything else – and for goodness sake, stop staring at him, he's too close! Turn away or something!_

To her credit, for a moment she almost _did_ turn away, but she didn't because… well, _because_. Her eye went from the scar to the concentrated frown on his face. He was biting his lower lips nervously, she noticed.

"Lipsky?"

Drakken's frown deepened a little, his concentration faltering slightly as she heard her calling out. "Look, I'll get us out of this, alright? Just give me another moment, maybe the flowers will listen-"

"_Lipsky_."

Something in her voice made him trail off and open his eyes to glance down at her, and he just then realized how close their faces were, how _very_ close. His breath caught in his throat. If she only tilted up her face a little more, he thought dazedly as they kept staring at each other, if he lowered his head just a fraction…

And then he had no time to think any further, because she _did_ tilt up her face and he _did_ lower his head and a moment later all he was aware of was how surprisingly soft her lips felt on his. He felt himself relax, the tension leaving his body, and the vines retreated, letting go of both of them – still, their mouths stay joined for a long time after that.

Maybe _that_ could count as asking nicely, Drakken thought dazedly, so he guessed he _could_ attend to that dinner after all. Maybe. If she promised she'd come with him to the karaoke bar after that.


	16. Epilogue

_A/N: well, this is the end. I finished it just in time to start writing my next NaNoWriMo project - and to think this fic was supposed to stay around 50,000 words long. Everything I write seems to have the habit of getting much longer than anticipated. Oh, well, it was a lot of fun to write, so I'm not complaining that it lasted longer than I thought._

_And of course, I hope you didn't mind either. Thank you so very much to everyone who read/reviewed/faved this fic. I hope you enjoyed the read._

_

* * *

_

"Aw, who's the cutest puppy here? Who is? You are!" Gemini cooed in a way that reminded Shego _way_ too much of DNAmy as he let the small dog curl on his knees. She held back a groan, hoping that he wouldn't reconsider the idea of leaving that neurotic dog there with its siblings and decide to bring it back with them to the base – _that_ was a kind of scenes she definitely hadn't missed in the few months that little monster had been away… so she couldn't help but agree to some extent with the remark that came from the other side of the table.

"You could at least _try_ to not look just as pathetic as you are," Dr. Director muttered, a slightly disgusted grimace on her face.

Gemini immediately glared at his twin sister, and so did Pepe, who also began snarling at her as Gemini spoke. "Why don't you mind your own business? If someone here is pathetic, that's not _me_," he turned to meaningfully glance at Drakken – who, at the moment, seemed pretty busy discussing of some kitchen receipt with Mrs. Director. Hell knew how they had gotten to that, considering that the conversation had started with Gemini and Dr. Director's mother asking him if he were the guy with Flower Power who had been trying for years to take over the world before settling for _saving_ it.

They seemed to be getting along surprisingly well, Shego thought with some amusement before she turned her attention back to the Director siblings – she had to admit that it _was_ entertaining watching them squabbling. Other than being pretty convenient for her that they would just bicker and not start any real fight she would have to step into – she felt a lot better than just a week before, but she was still in no shape to fight an opponent like Dr. Director – together with the delicious dinner it also made up for the awkwardness when they had realized that Theresa Director must have thought it would be a nice idea invitingher daughter and Drakken for dinner as well. On the same evening.

Even once the surprise had faded – Drakken had stayed an interesting shade of purple for a while, though – trying to behave normally and be civil around each other throughout most of the dinner had taken some effort… mostly to Dr. Director and Gemini, really, since she and Drakken had no trouble being friendly to each other, a few taunts from her part aside. Shego was pretty sure that, hadn't it been for his mother's presence, Gemini wouldn't have refrained from using his mechanical hand against his sister: it was pretty clear that they were blaming each other for the situation they were into… though Shego had to admit that the embarrassment on Drakken's face had been worth the trouble. Shego grinned inwardly at the thought and turned her attention to what Gemini was saying right now, taking advantage of the fact his mother was still talking to Drakken.

"…and I can't believe he could be stupid enough to get stuck with you," Gemini finished before childishly sticking out his tongue at her.

Dr. Director's eye narrowed for a moment, than a small smirk curled her lips as she glanced down at the chihuahua still warily growling at her from her brother's knees, its front paws resting on the table, and Shego guessed what she was about to do just a moment before she said it. "Global Justice."

Pepe's desperate yelps and Gemini's protests made both Drakken and Theresa stop talking about stuffed turkey to glance at them.

"My, what's wrong with that thing?" Theresa frowned "I thought he was getting calmer lately."

"So it's not just _my_ dog to be weird," Drakken mumbled – even though he had heard a lot from both Shego and Dr. Director about how hysteric that dog could get when someone named GJ, that was even worse than he had expected.

"It's all her fault!" Gemini whined, still trying to calm down his pet "she upsets him!"

"Then you should have left it outside, don't you think?" Dr. Director said innocently, fully knowing that there was no way for Gemini to reveal what she had done to purposely upset his dog without risking to let her know something about his… job that he _didn't_ want her to ever find out.

Gemini muttered some sugary nonsense to calm down the chihuahua before he glared daggers at his sister and opened his mouth to retort, but he immediately trailed off as he heard the unmistakable snort of someone trying to stifle a chuckle. He turned to Shego with a scowl, and she didn't even try to hide the amused smirk still on her lips. "Whose side are you on?" he protested.

Shego shrugged. "Hey, you're fun to watch. There's only a camera missing, and this could be one of those dumb sitcoms they air after midnight for insomniacs. Besides," she gave a slight nod towards Dr. Director "she's got a point there, you could have _really_ left it outside. Not to mention it isn't really the best thing to do, pretty much letting your dog on the dining table…"

"He's not on the table, he's…!"

"Oh, you've seen nothing," Dr. Director said, ignoring her brother and speaking to Shego directly for what was probably the third time in the evening, with the difference she really seemed to be doing so willingly "he has a knack for getting his pets where they don't belong. Back when we had a gerbil he always let it out of his cage to let it wander around. One day he also forgot to close the drawer with his underwear in it, and the gerbil got in. He only realized it was napping in his boxers when he put them on and the gerbil bit-"

Gemini's face turned almost purple. "Betty!" he barked, desperately wishing he could do something, _anything_ to shut her up. He gritted his teeth and uncomfortably glanced sideways at Shego to notice that she was grinning. "_What_?" he grumbled.

She shrugged with absolutely fake innocence. "Oh, nothing. So _that_ is the accident you had? I'm sorry," she said, her voice mockingly sweet as she made a mental note to speak to Dr. Director a little more often in any occasion they could meet outside work: she doubted they'd ever become friends or anything, but she surely had a great deal of embarrassing tales about Gemini she would be more than willing to tell her about… and each of them would mean more fun for Shego since she was _so_ going to use them to mock him.

Her taunt had the result to make Dr. Director snicker and Drakken laugh out loud – not to mention that even Theresa seemed to be having troubles to not start laughing herself. Gemini's face turned, if possible, even redder – but with his mother there and not knowing who he should snap at first he couldn't react quite the way he would have liked. He growled and leant back on his seat, taking a mental note to make agent Alpha pay for that later.

"Yeah, how funny," he snarled, glaring death at everyone but his mother "and what are _you_ laughing about?" he snapped at Drakken "you have pretty _flowers_ sprouting from your back when you're not looking – and you're _blue_! How the hell did you turn into a bad imitation of an overgrown Smurf anyway?"

Drakken scoffed. "Hey, that was a _serious_ accident! It wasn't like being bitten by some gerbil in one's underwear!" he said, folding his arms over his chest.

"As _serious_ as getting Flower Power?" Gemini taunted him.

"At least it's something _useful_, unlike a gerbil in one's-"

"KNOCK IT OFF!"

"Speaking of that," Theresa cut in before the discussion could degenerate too much, still trying to hide an amused smile "how _did_ you turn blue? Was it a lab accident or something?"

Drakken grinned a little sheepishly. "It's… a funny story," he said vaguely. He had had no trouble telling it to Dementor right after the Lowardian invasion, in one of those rare moments they could just chat rather than yelling and trying to best each other, but he did feel a little awkward at the thought of repeating it in front of Dr. Director: it had been a rather embarrassing accident. Fine, she probably knew it already since GJ gathered just _all_ kind of information on him way before they recruited him – though he had accurately avoided to ask anything about that: he had the frightening sensation they knew more on his private life than he could remember himself… not that he had much of a private life in the past years – but still…

"Then you have to tell us over the dessert," Theresa announced. Drakken's face brightened.

"Dessert?" he asked, and Shego noticed with some amusement that he wasn't the only one – Gemini was suddenly looking a lot less grumpy.

"Of course, a dinner isn't a dinner without dessert," was the reply before she turned to Dr. Director "Betty, could you get the ice cream out of the freezer? I'm coming in a minute to get the pie."

"Sure," was Dr. Director's reply as she got up – she looked somewhat relieved for getting a chance to get away from the dinner table for at least a couple of minutes.

"I'm coming along," Shego said, getting up herself and gaining herself a rather perplexed glance from Dr. Director and a _very_ concerned one from Gemini. Eventually, Dr. Director just shrugged.

"If you feel like it," she said just a little stiffly. They walked out of the living room and into the kitchen before Dr. Director turned to face her. "Fine, what is it?" she demanded to know, and even though she was apparently calm it was clear to someone as used to fight as Shego that she was ready to spring in action any second should she have any reason to. She rolled her eyes.

"Sheesh, relax. Remember that hole I had in my stomach a couple of weeks back? I don't heal at the speed of sound, you know. I _still_ can't even try fighting without feeling like someone set my guts on fire after five seconds. You'd mop the floor with me in a minute, and I don't really feel like giving you an excuse to."

Dr. Director seemed to be considering what she had just said. She eventually shrugged, but did not lower her guard too much. "Good point. But my question still stands – what do you want? I doubt you wanted to come along to get the ice cream out of the freeze."

"No, I'll leave that one heroic task to you," Shego said with a shrug "I just wanted to ask – you have lots of those stories about him, right?" she grinned "about your brother, I mean."

"You cannot even begin to imagine," Dr. Director smirked a little herself as she opened the freezer.

"Then you've got to share them."

"And I should because…?"

"Because it's a win-win deal. You get to embarrass your brother, I get endless mocking material."

…well, Dr. Director had to admit that it did sound pretty interesting put that way. "With pleasure," she finally said "on top of my mind there was the time he refused to bathe because he thought the Bathtub Monster would drag him down the drain or something. We were… seven, maybe," she put the ice cream on the counter and glanced at Shego again "by the way, does he still exclusively use the shower?"

Shego though for a moment. "Yes. No bathtub in his bathroom."

"Then I bet it's because he's _still_ afraid."

"You think?"

"I wouldn't be surprised."

"Well, I'll see how he behaves around a bathtub when we're in vacation, then."

"Vacation?"

Shego hesitated for a moment – Gemini had insisted for her not to tell anything about it to his sister so that she'd have to stay on her toes anyway, but since she had already mentioned it to Drakken she guessed that it was only a matter of time before she knew it anyway. "Yes, the boss decided to keep a low profile until I'm ready to get back to work, and while we're at it we're going in vacation. Three weeks. Enjoy your break, because I won't hold back once I'm back in business."

Dr. Director looked suspicious. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"We could send you and Dr. D a postcard or something if you want to be sure."

"No, I'd rather _not_ get anything from either of you that could be seen by anyone in GJ," Dr. Director shrugged "it could be troublesome for both."

A smirk curled Shego's lips. "What is it, are you afraid of outlaw in-laws joke?" she taunted.

"Oh, _please_. In case you didn't notice, my twin brother happens to be my arch-enemy," Dr. Director pointed out "I could eat the 'outlaw in-law' joke for breakfast."

Shego rolled her eyes. "At least Kimmie was more fun to taunt," she muttered to no one in particular.

Dr. Director seemed to have just been reminded of something. "By the way, you better not hold back from using everything you've got once you are, as you put it, back in business."

Shego raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yes. There is still nothing official since I still have to sign a few papers, but since I'm more than ready to do so… I guess it's safe to say that an old acquaintance of yours will be soon joining Global Justice as a junior agent."

An old acquaintance? Did she mean…? Shego's eyes widened. "Does it mean Miss Priss will be back in business?"

"If by that you mean Kimberly Ann Possible, yes," Dr. Director looked rather amused "I somehow knew you'd like the news."

Shego grinned excitedly – the mere thought of getting to fight Kimmie again made it difficult for her not to light up her hands in anticipation. "I did miss the challenge," he replied, her grin widening "looks like I should do my best to get back in shape soon.

"That would be advisable," was Dr. Director's reply "to be completely honest, for a while after the attempted Lowardian invasion I did hope we could recruit you as well. You could have made a valid element."

"Uh, yeah. No offence, but it's not my thing. The most you can expect is me helping out in case aliens show up again or something," Shego made a face, though she was already trying to picture Gemini's delighted expression upon knowing that he had pretty much snatched her before his sister could even try to recruit her. Hell, he still wouldn't stop bragging over that time he had managed to snatch his sister's favourite toy when they were five or something. Which reminded her, wasn't Dr. Director supposed to be telling her more embarrassing stuff about him? "Anyway, anything else on top of your mind?"

"Concerning my brother, you mean?"

"Sure."

Dr. Director thought for a moment. "Well, there was one time back in first grade when he got lost in school looking for the toilet because his sense of direction is pretty much non-existent. He somehow ended up in the gym and locked himself in by accident. When they found him a couple of hours later he had peed his pants and was crying in a corner. Have I mentioned that he had to use diapers at night until we were eight?"

"And on his first night without he wet the mattress," Shego added "yeah, I think you mentioned it back in Middleton, remember? That, and something about-"

"I hope you two aren't teaming up against Sheldon. He wouldn't make it out of this dinner alive if you did."

Both Shego and Dr. Director turned to see Mrs. Director standing behind them with her arms folded. "Uh… of course not," was Dr. Director's quick reply.

"Good, because you have your _own_ share of amusing tales to tell," she said innocently, and Shego could have sworn Dr. Director had paled a little upon hearing the threat "here, would you mind bringing this to the dogs on the law? I won't hurt varying their diet a little just once in a while," she said, handing her daughter a bowl with some leftovers.

"Well…" Dr. Director took the bowl and glanced at Shego, clearly wondering if her mother would tell her anything compromising about her while she was out of the kitchen. The thought seemed to be worrying her quite a bit.

"Don't make me go get the photo album, Betty," Theresa Director said with a somewhat disturbingly sweet old-lady smile, and Dr. Director was out of the kitchen before Shego could ever blink.

_Fine, now I'm really starting to see why Gemini said that saying no to her is not an option. _

"Is the photo album _that_ terrible?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Therese shrugged. "Oh, no. I think they're adorable in those pictures, but they don't want me to ever bring them up. I wonder why," she smiled – no, _grinned_ – again before turning her attention back to the pie she was slicing.

Shego leant on the counter. "You're making me curious now," she said, though feeling just a little – _very_ little – sorry for Gemini. Hadn't any photo album her family owned been destroyed in the comet crash, she would have probably burned any picture with her in it she could find as soon as she had learned to control her powers… but she would have kept Mego's most embarrassing ones, of course. That would have been the best blackmail weapon ever to use on him, she mused.

"I could show you the pictures as soon as the kids are distracted," she said with a shrug as she finished cutting the pie and reached for the whipped cream "keeping that album hidden is one thing they always agree onto."

"Uh… yeah," Shego said, both amused and a little taken aback by the fact she had actually referred to Gemini and Dr. Director as 'the kids' "I did notice they don't exactly get along all the time."

_Understatement of the century._

"Oh, yes, they always bickered a lot," she said with a sigh "like when they were just babies and fought over the same rattle. One would think they'd stop now that they're all grown up and they both have their own organizations to play with."

"Yeah, right," Shego rolled her eyes "if anything it just made them-" she suddenly trailed off as the meaning of what she had just said sank in her mind. Wasn't she supposed to know nothing of Gemini's business? She gave her a stunned glance, and Theresa just grinned.

"Don't tell them I know it," she said conspiratively before she turned to the door and called out for her son – not without some amusement, Shego noticed. "Shelly!"

* * *

"So, uh…" Drakken cleared his throat, not quite sure of what he should do or say not that everyone had apparently disappeared and he was sitting at the dining table alone with Gemini. It hadn't been _that_ awkward, especially since Gemini had been doing a pretty good job at completely ignoring him, focused on fussing on his dog as he was… still, Drakken couldn't just keep quiet and wait. No matter what the circumstances were and how unpleasant the person he might be stuck with could be, if there was one thing he just couldn't stand it was being ignored.

Gemini frowned and stopped cooing at his dog long enough to glance up at him. "What?" he asked icily.

…alright, maybe he _should_ have put up with being ignored for another while after all. Drakken quickly glanced around, but it looked like nobody was coming back yet, so he should probably think of something he could say that wouldn't make Gemini want to shoot him right away. He was pretty sure he could put up a decent fight if he used his Flower Power, but maybe avoiding a full-blown fight would be for the best, at least in that occasion. "Nice dog," he finally muttered "how old is it?"

Gemini's frown melted a little. "Pepe? He's six," he replied, petting his dog's ears "what do you _care_ anyway?"

"I was just _asking_," Drakken said a little defensively "I, uh, have a dog, too."

"Do you?" Gemini seemed a tad curious now "what breed?"

"A poodle, Commodore Puddles," Drakken was relieved to see he seemed a lot less hostile now that they were talking about dogs "one of my mother's friends had to move and she couldn't keep him, so we took him in," he shrugged "where did you get yours?"

Gemini smiled down at his pet, his flesh and blood hand reaching to scratch its belly. "Oh, he was always with me. He was born here – the dogs outside are his mother and siblings. And their mother and grandmother were born here, too."

"Oh, I see. And you kept this whole litter?"

"Yes. Mother can get lonely sometimes, and they keep her company. I took this little guy with me because he had some trouble when he was just born and I had to look after him a lot. And after that I couldn't just send him back home, right? Oh no, I couldn't," Gemini chuckled as Pepe yapped and tried to lick his chin.

"Ah," Drakken held back from laughing or pointing out that he wasn't looking very villainous right now "then, uh… why is he here right now?" he asked.

Gemini scowled again, though not at him. "He was sick and needed surgery, and then he needed a quiet place to recover. He was… too nervous in the base," he sighed and looked down at his dog, who was currently tugging at his shirt, waving its tail "and he's a lot more relaxed here, so it was probably for the best," he added somewhat sadly, more to himself than to anyone else. Yes, it probably was for the best if Pepe stayed at his mother's home permanently… but that didn't keep him from missing his pet's presence. It wasn't as bad as it had been before he and agent Alpha got… _close_, but he still missed him. Maybe he should drop by to visit him more often, and maybe bring him some new toy, and-

"Shelly!" Mrs. Director's voice came from the kitchen, not devoid of some kind of twisted amusement, and snapped him from his thoughts "do you want whipped cream with your slice?"

"Mom!" Gemini protested, his shoulders slumping a little. Why was she calling him like that _all_ the time that day?

"Oh, quit whining. Whipped cream or not?"

Gemini glared at Drakken as though his embarrassment was his fault. "Yes," he almost growled.

"Yes _what_?" his mother's voice reached their ears again, and Drakken could have sworn he had heard Shego stifling a chuckle.

"Yes, _please_," Gemini groaned before he slumped in his chair and glared darkly at Drakken "don't you _dare_ laugh," he threatened.

Drakken could have considered doing so in other circumstances – meaning whenever Dr. Director or Shego would be there to save his life – but since right now it was just them in the dining room it probably wouldn't be a wise move. Besides, he couldn't say he couldn't relate a little. He eventually just shrugged. "Not going to."

"Good for you," Gemini remarked, but he looked rather relieved as he went back petting his dog's ears "of course, had it been anyone else to speak to me like that, they would have been annihilated already," he pointed out a little forcefully.

"Huhu, sure. But annihilating your mother is not an option, eh?" Drakken muttered, thinking of the utter embarrassment his mother's mere presence granted him "I know how it works."

Gemini raised an eyebrow. "Oh, do you?"

Drakken grinned a little sheepishly. "Yeah. Mine calls me Drewbie and thinks I'm one of those doctors who give advice on the radio."

"Ow," Gemini actually winced a little, as if he had just told him he had a terminal illness, and his wariness diminished – it was clear that Drakken's situation wasn't much better than his own. "That, _and_ you got stuck with my sister? I'm sorry."

"Eh, one has to… hey, wait!" Drakken seemed to just realize what Gemini had said "quit insulting my… er… I mean… your sister?" he blabbered lamely, suddenly feeling unbelievably awkward… but how could he _not_ feel awkward? Aside from the overall situation – he was pretty sure he was the first former supervillain who was currently dining in the house of what happened to be his boss' mother, who clearly thought of him and said boss as a couple, together with his former sidekick and her own boss and _date_, who also happened to be the evil twin of _his_ boss, and… no, really, how could it get any weirder? – the fact he had absolutely no idea of what he could think of his relationship with Dr. Director kind of added to his discomfort.

Heck, he wasn't even sure whether or not he could define it a relationship. Fine, I liked her and she seemed to… appreciate him, and they did kiss, and… well, they _did_ kiss, and it was something, he guessed. But after that they had both been busy and it wasn't like they had any time to talk things through. They would have to, eventually, and while the thought made him wish the ground would open up to swallow him he supposed it would still be better than having absolutely no idea what to think. Until then he would just… well…

He was suddenly snapped by his thoughts as a dish was pushed under his face. "I hope you like it," Theresa was saying, sitting again "Shego mentioned you like whipped cream, so I guessed you wouldn't mind if I didn't hold back with it."

Drakken's frown immediately melted as he glanced at the slice of pie almost drowned in whipped cream. That, and ice cream: _that_ was what he called a dessert. "I don't mind at all," he immediately said, giving a quick smile to Shego – who was sitting next to Gemini again and smirking for some reason he couldn't imagine – before reaching for the spoon and glancing around. "Where's Dr. D… er, I mean, where is…?"

"Here," Dr. Director said, sitting down again and getting him out of the trouble of addressing to her with her first name for… what would have been the first time, really. That was probably something they would have to work onto as well, Drakken thought a little uncomfortably before turning his attention back to the dessert and taking a first spoonful. It tasted even better than it looked, he mused, immediately taking another spoonful – not _quite_ as good as his mother's, of course, but still. He was definitely going to have ask Mrs. Director for the reci-"

"Hey!"

"Sheldon! Don't bother your sister!"

"But mom, she started it!"

"No, she didn't – I saw you, Sheldon!"

"Uh?" Drakken glanced up to see Dr. Director wiping away some cream from her shirt, glaring at her brother – who, on the other hand, was grinning broadly and not even trying to look innocent.

"You should put a napkin around your neck if you're too much of a messy eater, Betty," he mocked her "why don't you- _ouch_!" he yelped, his grin immediately fading "she kicked me!" he exclaimed petulantly, turning to his mother.

"Did not!" Dr. Director retorted.

Theresa sighed. "Sheldon, there is no way she could have possibly kicked you from over there," she said slowly as if speaking to a little child – which was the way Gemini behaved any time his sister was around anyway, Shego mused.

"I'm telling you she did! I- _ow_!" Gemini glared at his sister "stop that!"

Shego elbowed him a little less gently than she could have. "Your mother is right, you know. Unless she's made of rubber and can stretch her limbs at will, she can't have kicked you. No need to whine," she rolled her eyes at his protests before flashing a brief smirk to Drakken – who, on the other hand, was doing his best to look absolutely innocent and not at all like someone with vines that could, in fact, stretch at will. Flower Power really was one heck of a useful thing when he was on control.

Theresa seemed to have guessed who the responsible was as well, but rather than saying anything about that she seemed to have just been reminded of something. "Weren't you supposed to tell us how come you're blue?" she asked, ignoring – like everyone else, around the table – how Gemini was still whining.

"Oh, _that_," Drakken swallowed his bite, his mood definitely higher than a few minutes before "well, as I said, it is a funny one. So, it was a Tuesday…"

* * *

The rest of the dinner was thankfully rather uneventful, aside from a few more taunts and a rather heated argument over the last slice of pie between Gemini and Dr. Director. All in all, it had been less tragic than she would have expected, Shego mused as she leant back on the seat – Gemini wouldn't even let her drive since she was still recovering, and while it annoyed her a little she had to admit that it wasn't so bad when it was someone else to drive for a change.

"Well, it wasn't that bad," she finally said, holding back a grin at the thought of all the information she had acquired about him – now that she had a few more arrows in her quiver, mocking him at the first occasion she got would be even more fun.

"Yeah," Gemini grumbled a little "but I'd like to know on whose side you're on. You agreed with the enemy twice, and then you also backed her up when I was saying she had kicked me!"

"Hey, in front of your mother she's not the enemy, genius," she reminded him "unless you want her to find out what your job really is…" she teased, and the fact she now knew that Theresa Director knew everything that both her children were trying to keep hidden form her made taunting him in that sense even funnier.

Predictably enough, Gemini shuddered. "Hell, no," he muttered, a worried expression on his face at the thought his mother could find what his activities were about, then he recollected. "In any case, I would have expected my top agent to be more supportive than that!"

"Hu-uh, sure," Shego took advantage of a the fact they weren't moving due to a red traffic light – it was funny how careful someone who's supposedly up to spread chaos can be when it comes to driving – to rest her head on his shoulder so that she could nibble at his earlobe a little more roughly than it was strictly necessary, which was something he apparently liked "I'm not exactly here as your top agent though, am I?"

Gemini found himself grinning at her words. Nope, she wasn't there as just his agent Alpha – she wasn't there as his agent Alpha at all, because it had nothing to do with work. She had been there because she was with _him_, and now that they were going in vacation for a while – Gemini had found himself growing fond on the idea almost against his own will – and WEE would have nothing to do with it, because it was going to be just them.

In his dedication to oppose GJ and spread chaos around the globe, his organization had pretty much been his life for… how much time? Well past a decade, for sure; maybe fifteen years, and in all that time there had been almost nothing and nobody really relevant to him outside the organization and, more in general, outside villainy. Of course, he was going to keep expecting from his agent Alpha the best as far as work was concerned – it wouldn't be professional behaving otherwise, and neither of them would have it any other way – but now he found himself rather enjoying the thought that there was something binding them that was not WEE, that had nothing to do with either villainy, work or a monthly pay check.

Before the traffic light turned green, Gemini turned and caught her lips in a quick kiss. "One for you."

* * *

"Your, uh… mother is nice," Drakken finally said tentatively after having walked in silence for a few minutes. Not that he was feeling uneasy – not that much anyway – but after a while the silence had just gotten… unnerving. Why wasn't she speaking? Had he done something wrong? Said something stupid?

Dr. Director chucked, clearly sensing his uneasiness. "Yes, she is. But this was still awkward."

"You still have to meet mine," Drakken muttered under his breath, but Dr. Director didn't reply – how could his mother create a more awkward situation than the one they had been in already? – and just raised an eyebrow.

"And you saying I should?" she asked, a little amused. Having him meeting her mother already definitely hadn't been her choice – they hadn't even caught up with the fact that theirs really wasn't a merely professional relationship anymore when they had been pretty much ordered to attend to that dinner! – and now it rather amused her that he would want her to meet his mother already.

"Well…" Drakken hesitated. He supposed that it would… make sense since he had met hers, but on the other hand he wasn't sure he wanted to have his mother in the picture that soon. "If you feel like having a laugh, I guess," he smiled a little sheepishly "if you think your family is embarrassing, just wait to meet my mother. And Eddie. He's even more obnoxious outside, er, work. But maybe he will too busy with his new girlfriend to attend…"

"You mean Adrena Lynn?"

Drakken blinked. "How do you know that?"

"The fact they were making out all the way to prison last time was kind of a giveaway, don't you think?"

"…oh, right," Drakken cleared his throat as they stopped in front of the car "speaking of giveaways, do you think we should, uhm… you know…?"

"Let anyone know at GJ?" Dr. Director finished, a small frown on her face "I'd rather not, at least for now – there are still too many things we should still talk through. In any case, it's not like we should. As long as we keep the two things completely separated, that is it."

Well, Drakken thought, that did seem like a good idea… even though it was rather amusing what Will Du's expression would have been upon finding out. "Fine with me. But this doesn't mean we should stop with cocoa moo breaks, right?" he asked a little worriedly, getting in the car himself.

She shook her head as she started the engine. "I can't see why we should – as far as anyone knows, Code C-M is of vital importance for Global Justice," she smirked "besides, those breaks pretty much kept me alive over the last few months," she added – to be honest, there had been moments she had wondered how in the world had she managed not to go insane while working without taking breaks like that for years.

Drakken grinned. "Good to know that," he said "turn left at the next crossroad."

"Left? And why?" Dr. Director asked innocently, as if she had no idea what he was talking about.

"The karaoke bar, remember? It's tonight, and you promise you'd come with me if I attended to the dinner," Drakken reminded her, a huge grin on his face "don't tell me you were hoping I had forgotten it!"

She sighed. "Honestly? Yes."

"Hey, that's not the right spirit!" he protested "I always told Shego too – you need _enthusiasm_!"

"I have it."

"No, you don't. You look like you're heading for slaughter."

"I wish," she replied, but she did turn to the left as he had asked – since he had not forgotten what she had promised, the only thing she could do was keeping said promise.

"Oh, come on! I'm telling you, it will be fun," Drakken grinned broadly "have I mentioned I love karaoke?"

Dr. Director couldn't help but chuckle at his grin. "I few hundred times, yes," she said "fine, I'm coming with you – but don't you ever dare to try making me sing."

Drakken nodded eagerly. "Sure not. The spotlight is mine – people love it when I sing," he boasted a little, apparently rather happy of getting a chance to boast about a talent that had nothing to do with doomsday devices, killer robots or Flower Power.

Dr. Director smirked. "Oh, that's right. I actually seem to recall seeing you on TV once… on American Starmaker, wasn't it?" she turned to glance at him "a rather… interesting rap number about some brainwashing shampoo. Very subtle, by the way. And nice clothing."

Drakken's ego seemed to deflate, and he slumped on the seat with a scowl. "That was one bad accident you had promised to never mention again," he muttered.

"It won't happen again," Dr. Director promised innocently "where should I turn now?"

His face immediately brightened again. "On the right, go straight on until I tell you, ad then left," he said before turning back to her "and if you don't have fun, I'll bake muffins to go with the cocoa moo all next week."

Well, Dr. Director thought, now that was an interesting proposal – his muffins were pretty good. She considered the idea for a few moments, then she smiled. "Sounds like we have a deal."

* * *

**Two weeks later**

"Nothing! He isn't answering!" agent Gamma's voice was a couple of octaves higher than usual, making him sound like he was one step away from a breakdown.

"Gamma, relax," agent Beta sighed, not turning his gaze away from the delicate task at hand – making himself a tuna sandwich with tomato and mayo – and just shrugging "it's nothing major, that helicopter was old anyway. Besides, there's a discount by HenchCo next week. We'll just buy a new, better one."

Gamma stared at him as if he had gone insane. "But he'll notice! And he ordered us not to do anything without telling him first! He'd be furious!"

"Yes, because he'd be so happy to be bothered about an old broken helicopter while he's on his first vacation since when dinosaurs got extinct," he laughed good-naturedly "don't worry, even if he notices I doubt he's mind. We had a small problem and solved it without having to bother him, end of the story. There might be a reason why he isn't answering, don't you think?" he meaningfully glanced at the other agent.

Agent Gamma seemed still uncertain. "But he ordered us to tell him anything that happened…"

"Then you'll just try to call him later. He can't know when the helicopter broke, can he?" Beta smirked a little – my, didn't it feel good not having to worry about things like that. Gemini and agents Alpha were probably enjoying their vacation, but Beta was sure they could never enjoy it as much as he was enjoying his.

"Well…" Gamma thought for a moment, then he smiled "hey, you're right!"

Beta shrugged and took a bite of his sandwich. "Sure I am," he muttered through a mouthful of bread, tuna and tomato "is there any soda left?"

* * *

Shego frowned in annoyance as she heard a familiar beeping sound. She rose on her elbows and pushed her sunglasses up to her forehead to glare at the object that was making that noise: Gemini's cell phone on the deckchair next to hers. She turned to make sure Gemini was still out of earshot – yes, he was still in the pool – an reached for the cell phone to see the caller's ID. Which was, of course, the base.

She rolled her eyes. Oh, no, no way. It wasn't coming from the line they used for red codes, so it couldn't be a matter of life and death – and if it wasn't a matter of life and death, it could as well wait until they got back. She wanted to relax, and last thing she wanted was having work getting in the way, she thought as she refused the phone call and shut off the cell phone before putting it back in place and resting back on the deckchair once again.

She pushed down her sunglasses again, shut her eyes and gave a content sigh. Sunbathing was something she had always enjoyed even though she just never tanned, and after spending so much time after the accident cooped up in a room – first in the hospital, then in the base – it felt twice as good. Gemini, on the other hand, didn't seem to enjoy it quite as much. But really, what else did he expect would happen when one falls asleep under the sun right on the first day and with barely any sunscreen on? He behaved like he had never been in vacation before, and he probably really hadn't in the last couple of decades or so. Hadn't Shego woken him up to make him wear a t-shirt and move in the shade, he would have been roast in a hour.

Ever since then he was very careful with how much time he spent under the sun, and he often got up to refresh a little in the pool – a pool he had reserved for just the two of them, Shego had been both amused and rather happy to notice. Maybe she'd join him in the water soon, but for now sunbathing felt so good that she'd probably stay there for another minute, just another minute…

"Aren't you feeling hot, agent Alpha?" Gemini's voice reached her ears, and a moment later she couldn't feel the sun on her skin anymore. She frowned a little, her eyes still shut.

"Boss, you're blocking out the su-" she began, only to trail off with a yelp at the sudden, wet coldness against her warm skin as reached to grab her and leant on her. Her eyes snapped open, and she growled as she saw his grinning face just inches from hers, his hair dripping water on her forehead and sunglasses. "Boss, get off me. You're soaked."

His grin widened. "I know."

"And what made you _think _it would be a good idea soaking me as well?"

Gemini shrugged. "I'm evil, and I was bored. And I thought you should cool of- hey!" he gasped as she knocked him off her and threw him on the ground. He tried to get up, but just a moment later she was on him, her knee on his stomach to keep him pinned on the ground.

"Do you still think it was a good idea?" she grinned, lighting up a hand, and Gemini allowed himself another moment to take a good look at her – she looked dangerous and gorgeous like that, in her bath suit with her skin glistening with water and the plasma giving a sinister glow to her face as she smirked down at him – before he lifted his mechanical hand, the waterproof model Jack Hench had provided him, and fired before she could even realize what he was doing.

"Wha…?" Shego yelped in surprise as she fell back on the ground, tangled into some kind of net that had to come from Gemini's finger missile – and there she had thought she knew all the stupid gadgets he had in that hand!

Gemini chuckled and got back on his feet. "Looks like I caught myself a mermaid," he grinned down at her.

Shego rolled her eyes as she reached to grab the net and let her plasma burn through it. "Is this a very bad joke or a subtle suggestion that I should wear fishnet stockings?"

"The former, really. But the fishnet stockings do sound like a good idea," Gemini admitted with a shrug as she got back on her feet as well and smacked his chest, though with not nearly as much strength as she could have used.

"Oh, yeah? After this little joke of yours you can forget it," she said before grinning "but you can be sure I'll get my revenge."

"I take it I should watch my back?"

Shego tilted up her head and smirked back. "You totally should," she said, and she was serious – it would be far from the first time they made each other pay for some taunt or prank, and she couldn't say she minded. After all they _were _evil and, infuriating as he could get, she liked it how there was just no way to get bored around him. It sure was entertaining, she thought.

Gemini seemed to think exactly the same way. "Then I expect you to do your worst, agent Alpha," he said. Then his mouth was pressing on hers, his arms sliding around her waist, and Shego found herself more than willing to switch to a less childish kind of entertainment.


End file.
